If you are in an emergency or crisis
- Call 911, go to the nearest emergency room or follow the emergency instructions provided by your doctor, mental health professional or care team. If your community has a mental health car, you can call 911 to request it.
- Call 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) to get help right away, any time of day or night. It’s a free call.
- Your Local Crisis Line: call 1-888-353-2273 24 hours a day to connect to a BC crisis line, without a wait or busy signal. The crisis line operators have received advanced training in mental health issues and services by members of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information.
- Kid’s Help Phone: for children and youth aged 5 to 20. Call 1-800-668-6868 to speak to a professional counsellor, 24 hours a day. It’s free, confidential, anonymous and available across Canada. They can also refer you to local services and resources. Kid’s Help Phone is available in English and French.
In a non-emergency
- Your Local Crisis Line: crisis lines aren’t only for people in crisis. You can call for information on local services or if you just need someone to talk to. See the number in the previous section.
- BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information: visitwww.heretohelp.bc.ca for the Mental Disorder Toolkit, more fact sheets and personal stories about mental disorders. The Toolkit is full of information, including templates for creating your action plan and tips for avoiding crisis and emergencies. You can also find the “Tips For … Dealing with Alcohol or Other Drug Overdose (OD) Situations” fact sheet.
- Kelowna Mental Health Services:1340 Ellis Street, 250-868-7788 (during office hours)
Resources available in many languages
For each service below, if English is not your first language, say the name of your preferred language in English to be connected to an interpreter. More than 100 languages are available.
- HealthLink BC: call 811 or visit www.healthlinkbc.ca to access free, non-emergency health information for anyone in your family, including mental health information. Through 811, you can also speak to a registered nurse about symptoms you’re worried about, or a pharmacist about medication questions.
- BC Alcohol and Drug Information and Referral Service: call 1-800-663-1441 (or 604-660-9382 in Greater Vancouver) to talk to someone about substance use. They can also connect you with local substance use resources. It’s available 24 hours a day.