Reaching out is hard, and finding the right number to call can feel like one more thing you don’t have the energy for. If you’re carrying something heavy right now, or you’re worried about someone you care about, the resources below are meant to save you that work. You don’t need a diagnosis or a referral to use any of them.

Des Moines has one thing most cities its size don’t. The CARE team answers mental health calls inside the city without police, sends two people out to wherever you are, and helps anyone of any age. You reach it by calling 515-283-4811 and asking for CARE, weekdays between 8:30 in the morning and midnight. Outside those hours, calling 911 and asking for the Mobile Crisis Response Team brings a Broadlawns responder to you within an hour.

If getting out of the house sounds easier than explaining yourself on the phone, the Crisis Observation Center at 1914 Carpenter Ave. is open every hour of the year to anyone 18 or older, at no cost. It’s built for the stretch where being alone doesn’t feel safe but a hospital would be too much. Staff can set up medication management or therapy before you go, and if a few hours isn’t enough, the same center is how you get into the five-day stabilization house on Arlington Avenue.

Statewide, Your Life Iowa takes calls at 855-581-8111 and texts at 855-895-8398, around the clock, for depression, drinking, gambling or anything else that has gotten hard to carry alone. Whether you’re calling for yourself or for someone else, the Mental Health Hotline can help you work out which of these fits at 866-903-3787. More Iowa mental health resources are gathered on the state page.