Is your life is at risk right now?

If you’re feeling suicidal or have harmed yourself, seek urgent medical help immediately. Call emergency services or visit the nearest hospital for support.

  • Call 999 for an ambulance
  • Go straight to A&E, if you can
  • Call your local crisis team – if you don’t already have their number, you can find an urgent mental health helpline on the NHS website

If you can’t do this by yourself, ask someone to help you.

Mental health emergencies are serious. You’re not wasting anyone’s time.

 

 

If you don’t want to call 999 and can keep yourself safe for a short while, but you still need urgent advice:

You can also contact the following for help

In the East of Berkshire
(Bracknell, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead)

 

Bracknell Adult Social Care Services

  • Telephone:  01344 351500
  • Out of Hours: Emergency Duty Team on 01344 351999

Slough Adult Social Care Services

  • Office Hours Telephone: 01753 475111 (option 1) or

Windsor and Maidenhead Adult Social Care 

  • Telephone:  01628 683744 during normal office working hours.
  • Outside office hours, please contact the Emergency Duty Team on 01344 786543

  • East Berkshire Safe Haven

    The East Berkshire Safe Haven offers out-of-hours mental health support to anyone aged 18 and over.

    You can contact them if you’re feeling distressed, overwhelmed, or that things are too much for you and your usual sources of mental health support are closed.

In the West of Berkshire
(Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire)

 

Reading Adult Social Care services

  • Call Adult Social Care on 0118 937 3747.
  • Out of hours emergency telephone: 01344 351 999

Wokingham Adult Social Care

  • 9am – 5pm: 0118 974 6000
  • Emergency out of hours: 0800 212 111
  • Social care out of hours: 01344 351 999

West Berkshire

  • Call Adult Social Care on 01635 503050
  • Social care out of hours: 01344 351999

  • Berkshire West Breathing Space

    Berkshire West Breathing Space is open for pre-booked appointments, opening times Monday to Thursday from 5 pm until 11pm.  It’s hosted at Rupert Square in Reading and can be accessed by those who are living in Wokingham Borough, Reading and West Berkshire. Berkshire West Breathing Space – Together for Mental Wellbeing

If you need to talk right now

No matter what you’re going through, help is available 24/7. Talk to someone today. You can:

  • call Samaritans on 116 123 (UK-wide, always available)
  • text SHOUT to 85258 (UK-wide, always available)
  • The Mix – Essential Support for Under 25s.
     If you’re experiencing any painful emotion or are in crisis, text 85258 (always available)
  • Papyrus (Prevention of Young Suicide) for children and young people under the age of 35 Call: 0800 068 4141 Text: 88247 (always available)
  • Campaign Against Living Miserably 0800 58 58 58 (Open 5pm to midnight)
  • Suicide Prevention UK 0800 689 5652 (Open 6pm to midnight)
  • Boloh a Barnardo’s service which has webchat and telephone options, which provides advice, emotional support and therapeutic support to for Hong Kong BN(O) Nationals and Asylum Seekers. It offers practical support with meeting your needs, or the needs of your child e.g. food, devices, clothing. Many operators are multi-lingual and translators are available if required. Open Monday to Friday, 10am – 8pm. Saturday 10am – 3pm.
  • Switchboard – LGBTQ+ wellbeing support available via telephone, webchat and email. All operators are people from the LGBTQ+ community. Open every day, 10:00am to 10pm.

These services are for anyone who’s struggling.

They won’t judge you. They’re free and they’re anonymous.

More mental health support

National Mind Helpline

Support line: 0300 102 1234

We’re open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays).

Our support line is a safe space for you to talk about your mental health. Our advisors are trained to listen to you and help you find specialist support if you need it.

Organisations that can offer help and advice if you’re neurodivergent

National Autistic Society

Advice and guidance about autism and the challenges autistic people and their families face. Topics include mental health.

Wrong Planet  

Wrong Planet is the web community designed for individuals (and parents / professionals of those) with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, PDDs, and other neurological differences.

Living Autism 

Will help you to find autism services, advice and support.

ADHD Foundation  

The ADHD Foundation is the UK’s leading neurodiversity charity, offering a strength-based, lifespan service for the 1 in 5 of us who live with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, DCD, Dyscalculia, OCD, Tourette’s Syndrome and more.

British Dyslexia Association   

The British Dyslexia Association Helpline is a national service for people with dyslexia and dyscalculia and those who support them. It offers free and confidential information, support and signposting.

Talk to someone you trust

Reach out to family or friends—they can offer support and help keep you safe. Talking about suicidal feelings is important, and there’s no right or wrong way to start the conversation.

Tips for coping right now

  • Try not to think about the future – just focus on getting through today
  • Stay away from drugs and alcohol
  • Get yourself to a safe place, like a friend’s house
  • Be around other people
  • Do something you usually enjoy, such as spending time with a pet

Worried about someone else?

  • If you’re worried about someone, try to get them to talk to you. Ask open-ended questions like: “How do you feel about…?”
  • Don’t worry about having the answers. Just listening to what someone has to say and taking it seriously can be more helpful.
  • See the Samaritans’ tips on how to start a difficult conversation.

Contains information from NHS Digital, licenced under the current version of the Open Government Licence