Crisis and mental health help lines in New York

If you or someone with you is in immediate physical danger, call 911. For thoughts of suicide, a mental health crisis or a need to talk to someone now, call or text 988. Both are free and answer at any hour, everywhere in New York State.

This page lists the crisis and help lines that were confirmed on official pages on October 13, 2026, explains what each one is for, and is clear about one limit: a psychiatric practice that treats ADHD, including Dr. Shershow's, is an outpatient office and not an emergency service. Do not wait for a callback from any outpatient practice in a crisis.

988: one number for the whole state

According to the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), 988 is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can call, text 988, or use the chat on the 988 Lifeline website.

The line is for more than suicidal thoughts. OMH lists mental health crisis, substance use and emotional distress, and says the line is also for people who are worried about someone else. New York has 14 contact centers answering 988, and since July 2022 they have handled about 1,489,000 calls and more than 282,000 texts and chats.

You do not need to be sure it is "bad enough." The line exists for emotional distress of any kind, and the counselor can tell you what local services exist.

NYC 988: what replaced NYC Well

In New York City, 988 connects to NYC 988, the city's own service. It took over from NYC Well, which transitioned to 988 in 2023 according to City Council testimony from the Health Department. If you still have NYC Well's old phone or text number saved, replace it with 988. This guide could not confirm that the old numbers still connect.

NYC 988's own site lists these features:

• Call or text 988, or chat online, 24 hours a day
• Press 2 for Spanish; interpreters in more than 200 languages
• Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers can dial 711, then 988
• Crisis counseling, peer support, referrals to ongoing services and follow-up

The city's testimony adds two points. NYC 988 can send a Mobile Crisis Team to where a person is, within a few hours, between 8 am and 8 pm, seven days a week, anywhere in the five boroughs, for crises that are not life-threatening. Callers are never asked about immigration status.

County crisis lines confirmed on official pages

988 works in every county. Some counties also run their own lines, which can dispatch local mobile crisis teams. Only the numbers below were confirmed on a county or operating organization's own page.

Numbers for other counties, including Suffolk, Albany, Broome, Rockland, Orange, Ulster, Oneida, Jefferson, Clinton, St. Lawrence, Niagara, Tompkins and Chemung, were not confirmed on an official page for this guide and are left out on purpose. Residents of those counties should use 988, which can connect them to local services.

Other statewide lines

• OASAS HOPEline: 1-877-8-HOPENY, or text HOPENY, 24/7, for substance use and gambling problems. It is listed on OMH's crisis page.
• OMH Customer Relations: 1-800-597-8481, for questions or complaints about state mental health services. It is an information line and does not handle crises.

Which number to use when

What these lines do not do

988, NYC 988 and the county lines are crisis and support services. They do not evaluate for ADHD, diagnose it or prescribe medication, and they cannot replace a missed or delayed prescription. A pharmacy that is out of stock or a prescription that has lapsed is frustrating and can feel urgent, but it is a matter for the prescriber and the pharmacy. See what to do when your pharmacy is out of stock.

The reverse limit matters just as much. An outpatient ADHD practice keeps office hours and is not staffed to respond to emergencies. A message left there in a crisis may not be heard in time.

Low mood, heavy drinking or drug use alongside ADHD deserve attention in their own right, before they reach a crisis. The guide covers both in ADHD and depression in adults and ADHD and substance use.

Steps to take today

1. Save 988 in your phone under a name you will recognize, and delete any old NYC Well number.
2. Add your county line if your county appears in the table above.
3. Write down your medications and your prescriber's and pharmacy's phone numbers, and keep the note in your wallet or phone. Crisis counselors and emergency staff will ask.
4. Tell one person you trust where that note is and that 988 is the number to call.
5. Ask your own clinician at your next visit how to reach the office after hours and what they want you to do in an emergency.

For questions that are not urgent, such as how to become a patient or how visits are arranged, see the new patients and contact pages. Neither is monitored for emergencies.