Immediate support
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
24/7 support for emotional distress, mental-health, substance-use or suicide crises—for yourself or someone else.
Official resource
Neuropath · Reach Out Early
Suicide Prevention.
Connection starts here.
Neuropath · Reach Out Early
Ask directly, listen without judgment and help a young person connect with a safe adult and professional support.
For youth, adults and the people who care about them. You deserve support now—not only when life becomes a crisis.
988 is available 24/7. Neuropath appointments and website messages are not emergency services.
1 / 5
A clear starting point
Choose the help you need right now.
Immediate danger · 911
For a life-threatening situation or medical emergency, including someone who has already been hurt, call 911 or go to an emergency department. Do not wait for a website response.
Call 911Emotional distress · 988
Call or text 988, or chat online, for suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, or a mental-health or substance-use crisis. Reach out for yourself or someone else—even if you are not sure it is a crisis.
Ongoing support · Neuropath
For non-emergency care, speak with client services about counseling, trauma-related concerns, recovery support and the appropriate care setting. An appointment request needs follow-up; it is not immediate crisis care.
Request an appointmentMon–Fri · 9:00 AM–7:30 PM · 888-337-6572
Language & accessible support: For Spanish, call 988 and press 2, or text AYUDA to 988. Phone interpretation is available in many languages. Deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors can use text, online chat, their relay service or official ASL videophone access. See all 988 access options ↗
Neuropath prevention initiative
Reach Out Early.
Prevention is not one conversation or one appointment. It is a network of caring relationships, professional support and practical next steps.
If stress, sadness, anxiety, trauma, grief or substance use is affecting your life, ask for help before things feel unmanageable. There is no minimum level of distress you must reach to deserve support.
Program development: Neuropath’s Reach Out Early initiative brings together prevention education and existing care pathways. A dedicated clinical suicide-prevention program is being developed; this page does not establish a 24/7 Neuropath crisis team or replace an individualized clinical assessment.
Talk with client servicesOne connection can open the next door.
You & your supportReach out early
Talk to someone
A trusted person can listen and help you take the next step.
Support across life stages
Different experiences. The same right to care.
Youth, teens & young adults
School pressure, bullying, identity concerns, loss and family changes can feel overwhelming. Tell a safe adult—a caregiver, school counselor, teacher or clinician. If the first person does not understand, try another. You can contact 988 yourself.
Adults: listen without blame, take statements about suicide seriously and do not dismiss distress as attention-seeking. Involve a qualified professional. If home is not safe, connect the young person with another trusted adult.
New Jersey families with youth under 21 can call PerformCare at 877-652-7624 about CSOC services and urgent behavioral-health support. State agencies determine eligibility and authorization.
Urgent Youth Services
Adults, older adults & caregivers
Work and financial stress, relationship changes, chronic illness, isolation, grief or substance use can affect anyone. You do not have to manage these challenges alone. Speak with a trusted person, primary-care provider or mental-health professional.
Caregivers need support too. Build a shared support network rather than carrying sole responsibility for someone’s safety. In a crisis, reach 988; use 911 for immediate danger or a medical emergency.
After emergency or hospital care, ask for a follow-up appointment, a personal safety plan and clear instructions about who to contact if symptoms worsen.
Explore adult counselingNotice changes · Take them seriously
Recognize when someone may need help.
Words that signal distress
Talking about wanting to die, feeling trapped, hopeless, in unbearable pain or like a burden.
Changes in connection
Withdrawing from friends or activities, saying goodbye or giving away important possessions.
Changes in daily life
Marked changes in sleep, mood, agitation, risk-taking or alcohol and other substance use.
A change that concerns you
New or worsening signs deserve attention, especially after a painful event. Signs are not a checklist or a diagnosis; their absence does not rule out risk.
You do not need to determine someone’s risk yourself. Ask directly and contact 988 or a qualified professional for guidance. Immediate danger requires 911.
Supporting someone you care about
Ask. Listen. Connect. Stay connected.
- 01
Ask directly
“Are you thinking about suicide?” Asking directly does not increase suicidal thoughts or behavior. Take the answer seriously.
- 02
Be there
Listen calmly, without judgment, debate or guilt. Say: “I care about you. Let’s find support together.” Do not promise secrecy about safety concerns.
- 03
Help keep them safe
If danger is immediate, call 911. Stay with the person if it is safe to do so, or maintain contact while arranging help. Ask a professional about reducing access to dangerous items.
- 04
Help them connect
Call or text 988 together. Involve a trusted person and a qualified mental-health professional. A young person needs a safe adult involved; choose another trusted adult if home is unsafe.
- 05
Follow up
Check in after the conversation or crisis, help arrange care and continue supportive contact. A referral alone is not the end of support.
You are not expected to be a therapist. Caring, listening and helping connect to professional support are meaningful actions.
A personal plan, made together
Make support easier to reach.
Create a written safety plan with a qualified professional when possible. Keep it somewhere accessible and review it when circumstances change. It is not a promise to “stay safe,” a screening test or a replacement for care.
During overwhelming moments, use the plan and contact support. Coping strategies may help, but should not delay 988, emergency care or a professional assessment.
Official safety-planning tool ↗- 01
Recognize personal warning signs
Write down the feelings, situations or changes that tell you support is needed.
- 02
Choose coping strategies
Identify a few safe, realistic actions that can help you get through a difficult moment.
- 03
Identify places and people for connection
List safe settings and people who can offer company or help you feel less isolated.
- 04
Name people you can ask for help
Include trusted people who know how to support you when distress increases.
- 05
Keep professional contacts available
Include your care team, 988 and emergency contacts. Know where to go if you need urgent care.
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Make your environment safer
Work with a clinician and trusted support person on secure storage and reducing access to potentially dangerous items.
Clinical care · Continuity · Recovery
How Neuropath can help.
Neuropath’s public services describe counseling, assessment, community-based support and recovery care. Client services helps identify the appropriate program; clinicians determine care needs. Ask about availability, coverage, authorization and the right level of care.
Care pathwayFocus of supportLearn more
Mental-health counseling
Explore distress, depression, anxiety, relationships and life transitions with a licensed professional. Assessment guides an individualized plan and appropriate level of care.
Service details →Trauma-informed conversations
Ask about care for trauma, grief and loss that emphasizes safety, trust, choice and collaboration. You do not need to describe traumatic experiences in a public website form.
Service details →Youth & family counseling
Clinical counseling and eligible IIC/IIH services can involve caregivers, strengthen communication and coordinate support in everyday settings.
Service details →Stabilization & care coordination
Ask about assessment, stabilization planning and connections to the right level of care. Do not wait for Neuropath’s office or a callback during an emergency.
Service details →Recovery support
Discuss substance-use concerns, coping, recovery goals and continued support. Mental-health and substance-use needs may require coordinated referrals.
Service details →Outpatient & telehealth care
Ask about ongoing appointments, practical skill building and follow-up in a setting appropriate to your needs. Availability, coverage and authorization vary.
Service details →Do not send safety emergencies, trauma narratives or sensitive health details through public forms or the website chatbot. Use 988 or 911 when help is urgent.
Trusted national & New Jersey sources
Resources for the next step.
Immediate support
988 online chat
Connect through the official Lifeline chat service in English or Spanish.
Official resourceNew Jersey
New Jersey crisis resources
Official state guidance on 988, screening services and crisis support.
Official resourceYouth & families
PerformCare / NJ youth services
Call 877-652-7624 for New Jersey Children’s System of Care access and questions about youth behavioral-health services.
Official resourceYouth & families
Youth support through 988
Support and guidance for young people and the adults who care about them.
Official resourceLearn & plan
NIMH suicide prevention
Evidence-informed education about risk, warning signs, treatment and prevention.
Official resourceLearn & plan
Five action steps to help
Ask, be there, help keep them safe, help them connect and follow up.
Official resourceLearn & plan
Safety Plan · VA
A public safety-planning tool to use with professional guidance; not an emergency service.
Official resourceImmediate support
Veterans Crisis Line
Call 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Veterans, service members and their loved ones can reach confidential support.
Official resourceOngoing care
FindTreatment.gov
Find mental-health and substance-use treatment providers. Confirm availability and coverage directly.
Official resourceOngoing care
SAMHSA National Helpline
Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for treatment referral information. This is not a crisis-counseling line.
Official resourceOngoing care
Support after suicide loss
Grief resources and connections for people affected by a suicide death.
Official resourceBased on public guidance from NIMH, 988 Lifeline, New Jersey Human Services, SAMHSA and the VA. Reviewed October 20, 2026. Educational information does not diagnose or determine eligibility.
Your next conversation matters.
For distress or a crisis, call/text 988. For immediate danger, call 911. For ongoing Neuropath care, request an appointment.