Stronger together: A toolkit for suicide prevention

Having quick access to mental health resources can make a difference in reducing mental distress and effectively responding to a mental health crisis. This blog post is your suicide prevention toolkit. It’s a practical collection of trusted resources, including crisis numbers, websites, and services that you can keep handy, to use yourself or to share with friends.

It’s a great idea to enter these numbers into your phone and/or bookmark this page on your browser for easy reference.

Campus Mental Health & Crisis Services

• Mental Health Services. Hopkins students enrolled in degree-seeking programs with at least one in-person class at our Baltimore and Washington, DC campuses are eligible for services from this office. Call 410-516-3311 weekdays from 8:30am-5:00pm to reach the helpful front office staff at each clinic location. Students can access services including individual therapy, occupational therapy, psychiatric services, referrals, and more following a 20-25 minute initial consultation (IC) appointment.
• Behavioral Health Crisis Support Team (BCHST). The BHCST can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 410-516-WELL (9355) for urgent help.
• TimelyCare TalkNow. This on-demand telehealth service connects you to a clinician for support, any time you need it This service is available to Hopkins students and trainees in all 50 states and in international locations that permit web access.

National Crisis Lines

If you or someone else is in immediate danger of suicide, here are numbers you can call or text right away.

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Dial or text 988 to connect with trained crisis counselors.
• Crisis Text Line. Text HELLO for free, confidential support by text.
• Trevor Project Lifeline. For LGBTQ+ youth, call 1-866-488-7386  or text START to 678-678.

Trusted Online Suicide Prevention Resources

There are many reliable, evidence-based websites that offer education, prevention strategies for different audiences. These sites are updated regularly and provide materials for individuals, caregivers, organizations, educators, and policymakers.

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) . Programs, statistics, and community walks.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Suicide fact sheets, organizational resource tools, and related mental health resources.
• The Jed Foundation. Focused on protecting emotional health of teens and young adults.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Support for families and individuals living with mental illness.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Grants, treatment locators, and prevention resources.
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). Policy, workforce, and training resources.

Toolkits are most useful when they are personalized to you. You can customize your own toolkit by saving important numbers in your phone and add the Crisis Text Line to your favorites. Also consider identifying a few trusted people to let them know they are part of your support plan, just in case.

Finally, suicide prevention is most effective when you have partners, as well as the right tools at the right time. By bookmarking websites and saving crisis numbers, you create a toolkit that ensures that support is within reach.

Remember: asking for help when you need it is a sign of strength, not weakness.