California Mental Health Hotline

Free, confidential support for California residents — available 24/7.

Call 866-903-3787

⚠ Safety Notice

If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, call 911.

If you’re having thoughts of suicide or are in emotional crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In California, those calls route to a local crisis center.

The Mental Health Hotline offers support and resources and is not a substitute for emergency services.

Mental illness is one of the most common health conditions in California. For many people the hardest part is not the condition itself but finding care they can afford and reach, and fear of being judged keeps others from asking at all. That is where California mental health hotlines can help.

Cost should not decide whether you or someone you love gets help. Taking this step is not easy, but when you are ready, several organizations offer free assistance to California residents. You can also call the Mental Health Hotline at 866-903-3787 to talk through your options.

Table of Contents

Options for California Hotlines

The following resources provide support, information and connections to care across California. Calls and texts to 988 are routed to a local crisis center, and the Mental Health Hotline is one of several other places to turn.

Mental Health Hotline
Call anytime, day or night, to reach the Mental Health Hotline. We can help you find resources in your area and answer your questions. Available 24/7.
866-903-3787
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
The national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988 anytime for free, confidential support. In California, calls route to a local crisis center based on your area code.
California Peer-Run Warm Line
A non-emergency line staffed by peer counselors with lived experience, for any Californian who needs to talk. Call or text 855-600-9276, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. most days and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday.
NAMI HelpLine
The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers free information, resource referrals and peer support. Call 800-950-6264 or text NAMI to 62640, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
SAMHSA National Helpline
A free, confidential 24/7 referral line for mental health and substance use, with information on local treatment centers, support groups and community organizations. Call 800-662-4357.
California DHCS County Hotlines
The state Department of Health Care Services publishes a contact list of county mental health plans. Each county runs its own 24/7 access line for local services and referrals.

Local Resources by City

For city-specific mental health resources in California, explore the pages below:

Los Angeles Hotline
Sacramento Hotline
San Diego Hotline
San Francisco Hotline
San Jose Hotline
San Luis Obispo Hotline

California Mental Health Statistics to Know

Mental health conditions are common across California, and most people living with one are not getting the care they need. If that is where you are, you are far from alone.

California adults lives with a mental illness
1 in 0
Californians lives with a serious mental illness
1 in 0
of those affected receives adequate treatment
1 in 0

Source: California Health Care Foundation, Mental Health in California, 2022 edition.

Help Is Here

Living with depression, anxiety, substance use or another mental health condition is hard enough without having to work out where to turn next. California has real resources, and finding the one that fits is often the hardest part.

The Mental Health Hotline is available 24/7 to answer your questions and point you toward support in your area. You can share as much or as little as you’re comfortable with.

Call 866-903-3787

Call when you’re ready.