In crisis, or worried about someone? Call or text 988 · Veterans, dial 988 then press 1 · More ways to get help
Buddies Helping BuddiesShelby County, Indiana Stand With Us
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You are already doing the hard part

Get help

Every number on this page is free, confidential, and answered by a real person. You do not need insurance, a diagnosis, or the right words. Looking is enough to start.

If someone could die in the next few minutes

Call 911

Immediate medical danger, an overdose in progress, or a weapon involved. Do not wait to be sure.

911

Emergency services

988

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Lines that answer 24 hours a day

Pick whichever one
feels easiest

They all lead to trained people. If talking on the phone feels impossible, use a text line. That counts just as much.

988

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

For thoughts of suicide, emotional distress, substance use, or simply not coping. Available in English and Spanish, every hour of every day.

Call 988 Text 988
988 → 1

Veterans Crisis Line

Staffed by people trained to talk with veterans, service members, and their families. You do not need to be enrolled in VA care to use it.

Call 988, press 1 Text 838255
741741

Crisis Text Line

Text the word HOME to 741741 and a trained crisis counselor will text you back. Good when you cannot speak out loud, or you are not alone in the room.

Text HOME to 741741
1‑800‑662‑4357

SAMHSA National Helpline

Free, confidential treatment referral and information for substance use and mental health. They will point you to real local options, not a sales pitch.

Call the helpline
211

Indiana 211

For everything underneath the crisis: rent and utility assistance, food, housing, transport, and local programs. Dial 211 from any phone in Indiana.

Dial 211

Reach Buddies Helping Buddies

For anything that is not an emergency. Tell us what is going on in your own words and we will help you work out the next step. A person reads every message.

Email us Message on Facebook

If you have never called before

What actually
happens on 988

Not knowing is one of the biggest reasons people do not call. So here it is, plainly.

  • A trained counselor answers. Usually within a minute or two.
  • They ask what is going on. You can say as much or as little as you want.
  • It is confidential. It does not go on a permanent record, and it does not go to your employer.
  • They will not send police for you by default. The overwhelming majority of calls end with a conversation and nothing else.
  • You can hang up whenever you want, and you can call back as many times as you need.
  • You can call about somebody else. Worrying about a friend is a completely valid reason to use it.

If you got far enough down this page to read this, some part of you is still looking for a way through. Listen to that part.

Buddies Helping Buddies