Treatment and support for suicidal thoughts

If you're experiencing ongoing suicidal thoughts, you might feel as if there's nothing that could help. But there is support available. This can help you cope with these feelings and with any problems that may be causing you to feel suicidal.

Your mind will always tell you your thoughts aren't bad enough, that you don't need support. That's not true.

Support for suicidal thoughts through your GP

Going to your GP is a good starting point for getting support.

It's common to worry about talking to your doctor about suicidal feelings. But they'll be used to listening to people who are experiencing difficult feelings.

Your GP can:

• Refer you to talking therapy or counselling services
• Prescribe you medication
• Refer you to specialist services, such as a community mental health team (CMHT). There's more information about CMHTs in our page on support for mental health problems.

Our page on how to get help from your GP has tips on how to speak to your doctor about your mental health.

Helplines and listening services for suicidal thoughts

Helplines and listening services can be good ways to get information or support when you need it. Many are available across different times of the day, and provide a confidential, judgement-free service.

Talking to someone on the phone can also be helpful if you're finding it hard to open up to people you know. Or if you don't want to speak to someone face-to-face.

For example, Samaritans is a confidential listening service available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can:

• Call 116 123 (free from any phone).
• Call the Samaritans Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).
• Email [email protected] (Email response may take several days. This service will close from 26 April 2026).
• Visit some branches in person - you can find a branch nearest to you on Samaritans website.

Or see our page on mental health helplines for more information, including a list of organisations you can speak to.

Peer support to cope with suicidal thoughts

Peer support brings together people who've had similar experiences to support each other.

It may help to share your thoughts and feelings with others who understand what you're going through. It might also help to share tips for coping.

Peer support can happen face-to-face or online. You might prefer online support if you aren't comfortable talking face-to-face about how you feel.

Our pages on peer support groups for mental health have more information.

We also have information about looking after your mental health online. This might be helpful if you use online peer support.

Talking therapies for suicidal thoughts

Talking therapies are treatments which involve talking to a trained professional about your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. For example, speaking with a counsellor or therapist.

Talking therapies can help you understand why you're experiencing suicidal thoughts. They can also help you think about ways to help yourself cope with and resolve these feelings.

There may be a long waiting list in your area to get talking therapies on the NHS. But you may be able to access them through charities, your workplace or university. You can also access them privately at a cost.

See our guides to talking therapy and counselling for more information.

Medication to cope with suicidal thoughts

There isn't a specific medication to treat suicidal thoughts. But your doctor might prescribe you psychiatric medication to help you cope with your symptoms. Or they might prescribe medication to treat a mental health problem which may be contributing to your suicidal thoughts.

These medications may include:

• Antidepressants
• Antipsychotics
• Mood stabilisers

Can medication make me feel worse?

Some people find psychiatric medications actually make them feel worse. Our page on coping with the side effects of psychiatric medication has more information.

If you experience suicidal feelings while taking medication, you should talk to your GP as soon as possible. You can also speak to a pharmacist or contact NHS 111.

Crisis services if you feel suicidal

A crisis service is any service that's available at short notice to help and support you during a mental health crisis. These services include:

• Emergency GP appointments. An emergency appointment lets you see a GP quickly. The GP can give you information, prescribe medication or refer you to more support. You can get urgent help from any GP surgery without being registered as a patient. Our page on how to get help from your GP has information on emergency GP appointments.
• 999 and A&E. If you've seriously harmed yourself or taken action to end your life, you'll need urgent medical help. You can call 999 or ask someone to do this for you. Or you can go to Accident & Emergency (A&E) if you're able to. Or someone can take you. Our page on going to hospital or A&E has more information.
• Crisis resolution and home treatment (CRHT) teams can support you if you have a mental health crisis outside of hospital. They're often called 'crisis teams' for short, although your local service may have a different name. You'll normally need a referral for support from them. See our page on crisis teams for more information.
• Crisis houses, sanctuaries and day services. Crisis houses offer intensive, short-term support to help you manage a mental health crisis in a residential setting, rather than in a hospital. You'll usually need to be referred by a mental health professional, although some let you refer yourself. Crisis cafés, sanctuaries and safe havens are places you can go for a short time. You don't usually need a referral. See our page on crisis houses, sanctuaries and day services for more information.
• Local support services may offer day services, drop-in sessions, counselling or support for specific issues. Some local branches of Samaritans offer walk-in, face-to-face support. You can find a branch nearest to you on Samaritans website. 

What if I've had bad experiences with crisis support services?

Not all of these support options may be available to you. Or they may not all be what you need right now.

You might have tried to seek help in the past and it might not have gone very well. This might have made your suicidal thoughts worse.

Remember that you deserve help and support, even if you don't feel like you do. There are people and services out there to get you through this.

If you have someone you trust to support you to talk to healthcare professionals, that might help. Or you may be able to get support from an advocate. Our pages on advocacy and mental health have more information.

If you've had bad experiences when seeking support from the NHS, the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can help. There's more information about PALS on the NHS website.

An NHS complaints advocate can also help you to complain about services that treated you poorly.