Help By Phone

Telephone help lines are particularly valuable during the Covid-19 pandemic, because social distancing requirements exacerbate pre-existing problems and make it more difficult to seek help.

If you are experiencing a medical or life-threatening emergency, please call 911. If you are experiencing other forms of emotional, mental or physical stress, you may find one of the following links helpful.

The services listed here appear to be free unless noted otherwise.  Please check whether or not this is true before making commitments for use.

Non-Medical Help Lines

Please Live
Please Live was started by a caring teenager who saw a need in the world and decided to address it.  The organization offers an excellent list of hotlines. 
http://www.pleaselive.org/hotlines/

Open Counseling
Open Counseling offers a directory to free telephone counseling hotlines in the United States,
covering a wide range of concerns, including but not limited to drugs, abuse, and suicide prevention.
https://www.opencounseling.com/hotlines-us

Friendship Line
The Friendship Line is a 24-hour free help line for people over 60, provided by The Institute on Aging.
Call (800) 971-0016.
https://www.ioaging.org/services/all-inclusive-health-care/friendship-line/

Domestic Violence
To reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or reach out through www.TheHotline.org.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Call 1-800-273-8255 for help that is free, confidential, and always available to anyone who needs support for themselves or for anyone else.  https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
  1-800-273-8255 (English)
  1-888-628-9454 (Español)
  1-800-799-4889 (Deaf or hard of hearing)

The above services are national.  There are also many valuable phone services offered by local and state organizations.  For example:

Warm Line

Warm Line is a peer support help line for people living with emotional and mental health challenges. 
https://www.mhselfhelp.org/warmlines
https://www.crisisconnections.org/wa-warm-line/

Teenlink 

Help for teens and people helping teens.
https://www.teenlink.org/

If you are seeking meaningful ways to donate money or volunteer your time, you may wish to consider supporting a non-profit organization that trains volunteers to offer vital help by phone.

Medical Advice by Phone 

Your doctor's office is likely to have someone who can answer patient medical questions by phone.  In time of Covid-19, the doctor may also choose to meet with you by phone rather than in person.

Many hospitals and medical clinics have phone lines staffed by nurses expert in advising patients uncertain where to go for help.

If possible, identify your 24-hour and daytime medical phone resources before you become ill.  Post the information where you can find it, as on the refrigerator.  Advance preparation is particularly important if you don't have a personal physician.

Non-Crisis Medical Information from The National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH offers some free non-crisis medical information by phone.
https://www.nih.gov/health-information/health-info-lines