Urgent Mental Health Help: Who to Contact, Right Now
If you or someone with you is in emotional crisis, this page puts the right contacts in one place — free, 24×7 government helplines, when to go straight to a hospital, and how to reach us for an early appointment when the situation is serious but not an emergency. Compiled and reviewed by Dr. Debolina Chowdhury, Consultant Psychiatrist, Nirvana Clinic, Greater Noida.
If there is any immediate risk to life or safety
Go to the nearest hospital emergency department or call the national emergency number:
112
Tele-MANAS — Government of India mental health helpline (free, 24×7)
Trained counsellors, available in Hindi, English and regional languages, any time of day or night. Anyone can call — for themselves or for someone they are worried about.
KIRAN — national mental health rehabilitation helpline
Please note: Nirvana Clinic is an outpatient clinic, not a 24×7 emergency service. For crisis situations, please use the contacts above first — then reach us for follow-up care.
What Counts as a Mental Health Emergency?
Use the emergency route — hospital ER or 112 — when any of these are present:
- Someone has harmed themselves, or says they intend to
- Talk of not wanting to live, saying goodbye, or giving away belongings
- Severe confusion, seeing or hearing things others cannot, or complete loss of touch with reality with unsafe behaviour
- Violence or credible threats of harm to others
- Suspected overdose or poisoning of any kind — this is a medical emergency first
- Severe agitation after alcohol or drug use, or alcohol withdrawal with shaking, confusion or fits
Take every statement about self-harm seriously. Stay with the person, remove urgency from the moment by keeping them company and talking calmly, and get professional help involved — you do not need to handle it alone, and you do not need to be sure it is “serious enough” before calling a helpline.
Not sure if it is panic or something physical?
Severe chest tightness, breathlessness and fear can be a panic attack — or a heart problem. When in doubt, treat it as medical first and get to an emergency department. Our guide on panic attack vs heart attack explains the differences — for reading after safety is ensured, never instead of it.
Serious But Not an Emergency? Get an Early Appointment
Many situations need help soon rather than this minute — worsening depression, escalating panic attacks, a family member's drinking reaching a breaking point, or a crisis that has just been stabilised and now needs proper treatment. For these, Nirvana Clinic offers:
Priority appointments
Message us on WhatsApp describing that the situation is urgent — we accommodate early slots for clinically urgent cases wherever possible, in-clinic at Greater Noida or by online video consultation.
Follow-up after a crisis
After an emergency-room visit or helpline contact, structured outpatient psychiatric care is what prevents the next crisis — assessment, treatment and planned follow-up with Dr. Debolina Chowdhury.
Family guidance
Worried about someone who refuses help? A consultation without the person present can plan the approach — common in alcohol and substance problems and severe withdrawal or depression.
Ongoing treatment for the conditions behind most crises is available at the clinic: depression, anxiety, panic attacks and the full range of psychiatric services. First visit ever? Here is what to expect.
Supporting Someone in Crisis: What Helps and What Doesn’t
Helps
- Listening without interrupting, arguing or immediately problem-solving
- Asking directly and calmly how bad it has become — direct questions open doors, they do not plant ideas
- Staying with the person, or arranging that someone does
- Making the call to a helpline together, or offering to
- Following up in the days after — crises have aftermaths
Doesn’t help
- “Think positive,” “others have it worse,” “be strong”
- Treating it as attention-seeking or a phase
- Promising total secrecy when safety is at stake
- Leaving the person alone to “calm down”
- Waiting for the person to ask for help perfectly — distress rarely does
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Tele-MANAS helpline really free, and who answers?
Tele-MANAS is a Government of India service under the National Tele Mental Health Programme. Calls are free, the line runs 24×7, and they are answered by trained counsellors with escalation to mental health professionals where needed. Support is available in Hindi, English and multiple regional languages.
Can I call a helpline about someone else?
Yes. Family members, friends, teachers and colleagues call helplines about people they are worried about all the time — it is one of the most useful things you can do, and the counsellor can guide your next steps for that specific situation.
Does Nirvana Clinic handle psychiatric emergencies?
No — Nirvana Clinic is an outpatient clinic with fixed consultation hours, not a 24×7 emergency facility, and it does not have inpatient or emergency infrastructure. For emergencies, use a hospital emergency department or the helplines on this page. What we do provide is priority outpatient appointments for urgent situations and structured follow-up care after a crisis has been stabilised.
What should I bring to an urgent psychiatric appointment?
Any previous prescriptions or discharge summaries, a list of current medicines, and if possible a family member who knows the situation. If there was a recent hospital or helpline contact, mention it — continuity of information makes the assessment faster and safer. Nothing else is required; coming is what matters.
Someone I love refuses all help. What can I actually do?
More than it feels like. You can consult a psychiatrist yourself to plan an approach for your specific situation, keep communication open rather than forcing ultimatums, involve a person they respect, and know the emergency route in advance in case safety deteriorates. Refusal today is often acceptance later — families who stay engaged, calmly and persistently, are usually the reason treatment eventually starts.
After the Crisis, Care Continues
Helplines and emergency rooms handle the moment. Recovery is built in the weeks after — with assessment, treatment and follow-up. Dr. Debolina Chowdhury provides that continuing care at Nirvana Clinic, in person and online.
Nirvana Clinic · Shop GF-93, Sun Twilight Mall, opposite Delta 1 Metro Station, Greater Noida