Help is available! Find easy access to mental health and suicide prevention resources by using the links provided here.
If you or someone you care about is in crisis and needs immediate help, call the Crisis Hotline at (888) 724-7240. The phone lines are answered by trained professionals available 24/7; the call is free and confidential. If emergency medical care is needed, call 9-1-1 or go to the emergency room of the nearest hospital.
- San Diego County Suicide Prevention Action Plan:
This document proposes suicide prevention strategies for San Diego County that enhance efforts to increase understanding and awareness of suicide and decrease stigma associated with suicide, with the goal of reducing the number of suicides in San Diego County. - Suicide Prevention Action Plan Executive Summary
- San Diego Access & Crisis Line:
Phone: (888) 724-7240
Hours of Operation: 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week
The San Diego Access and Crisis Line serves as a suicide prevention/intervention hotline. It provides mental health crisis intervention and information and referral to mental health services in San Diego County, including referrals to mental health care professionals who accept Medi-Cal and those who do not have health insurance. It also provides information and referral to County Drug and Alcohol treatment and recovery services for adults, adolescents and pregnant and parenting women who are receiving Medi-Cal or who do not have health insurance. Calls are FREE and answered by trained professionals. Service is available in multiple languages. - Survivors of Suicide Loss (SOSL):
Phone: (619) 482-0297
SOSL provides self-help support groups for those who have lost a relative or friend through suicide. Support materials and a quarterly newsletter are available either electronically or in hard copy. A speaker’s bureau provides information on suicide issues and prevention of suicide. - Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program San Diego:
Phone: (760) 635-5904
Yellow Ribbon is a community and school-based suicide prevention and outreach program. The website includes tips on how to recognize warning signs, how to reach out and a special section for parents to help them recognize signs of depression in children and teens. - American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) - San Diego Chapter:
Phone: (760) 459-9959
The AFSP San Diego Chapter is dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide. The Chapter offers educational programs for highs schools, colleges, professionals, and community groups. The Chapter's Survivor Outreach Program provides survivors of suicide loss and their families support and reassurance that surviving a suicide loss is possible. - Suicide Prevention Education Awareness and Knowledge Program (SPEAK):
SPEAK is a San Diego Unified School District developed initiative that established a suicide prevention training and education program for 75 of the district’s schools that include 7th - 12th graders. The mission is to reduce the stigma that is associated with mental illness and depression, increase help-seeking behaviors in youth, and improve staff responsiveness to suicidal concerns and behaviors in students by providing education to students, staff, and parents throughout the district. - National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
Hotline: (800) 273-TALK (8255)
A free 24-hour hotline available if you or someone you know is in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Press 1 for a dedicated line for veterans and their families. - Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC):
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) provides prevention support, training and resources to assist organizations to develop suicide prevention programs, interventions and policies and to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. - The Jed Foundation:
This foundation is dedicated to reduce emotional distress and prevent suicide among college students. The website provides resources for students, professionals, parents and friends. - San Diego County Suicide Prevention Action Plan Needs Assessment (PDF):
This needs assessment, published in March 2011, was conducted to provide local data and evidence to inform individuals, organizations, and agencies across San Diego County in the development of a strategic approach to suicide prevention at the local level. - Suicide in San Diego County: 1998-2007 (PDF):
In this report, the Community Health Improvement Partners' (CHIP) Suicide Prevention Committee presents data about suicide in the county overall and among three distinct age groups: adolescents and young adults, working-aged adults, and older adults. The information in this report should prove helpful to those in need of basic information and trends on suicide in San Diego County. - Suicide Prevention Action Network USA (SPAN USA):
SPAN USA is a national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education, and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide. - Survivors of Suicide:
The Survivors of Suicide website was developed to help those who have lost a loved one to suicide resolve their grief and pain in their own personal way. - California Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention (PDF):
The California Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention provides recommendations of the Suicide Prevention Plan Advisory Committee to the California Department of Mental Health. - National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action:
This U.S. Department of Health and Human Services document provides goals and objectives for a blueprint for the nation to take action to prevent suicide. - Reporting on Suicide: Recommendations for the Media:
Recommendations to improve the way suicide is covered in the media.
- Youth Suicide: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Injury Center:
The CDC offers national level data and information about suicide among youth, including risk factors and resource recommendations for youth suicide prevention. - Understanding Suicide Fact Sheet: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Injury Center (PDF):
This two page fact sheet is intended for the general public and provides a basic overview of suicide, including risk factors, prevention, and additional resources. - Suicide Facts at a Glance: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Injury Center: (PDF)
This fact sheet provides up-to-date national level data and statistics on suicide and suicidal behaviors. - Fact Sheets About Suicide: American Association of Suicidology:
This website offers a variety of fact sheets about suicide and suicide prevention, in both English and Spanish, including:- African Americans and Suicide (PDF)
- Depression and Suicide (PDF)
- Hispanic Suicide (PDF)
- Suicide and the Elderly (PDF)
- Suicide in the U.S. (PDF)
- Surviving after Suicide (PDF)
A survivor of suicide is a family member or friend of a person who died by suicide. This fact sheet describes the common emotions and feelings of grief experienced by survivors of suicide, and offers resources through the American Association of Suicidology. - Youth Suicidal Behavior (PDF)
- LGBT Youth and Suicide (PDF)
This fact sheet provides information about suicidal behavior, risk factors, protective factors, and implications for suicide prevention among LGBT youth. - Signos de Advertencia (PDF)
- Si Esta Pensando en Suicidarse (PDF)
- Entendiendo y Ayudando al Individuo Suicidal (PDF)
- Hechos sobre Suicidio y Depresion (PDF)
- Supervivientes de Suicidio Hoja Informativa (PDF)
- Mas Alla de Sobrevivir: Sugerencias para Supervivientes (PDF)
- ¿Estás tu o un ser querido al riesgo de suicidio? (PDF)
