You should call 0800 83 85 87 or 116123 as soon as possible.

When in crisis, some people may have thoughts to cause serious or harm to themselves. This means that they cannot keep themselves safe. This webpage is here to help you know what to do if you experience these thoughts “out of hours”, when normal services including your own GP is closed.

• Contact a trusted person, or a crisis line as soon as you can. There are people who are waiting to help you.
• Be honest with your trusted person, or the crisis line worker.
• Stay with your trusted person, or stay on the phone with the crisis line worker, until you are sure you are safe and the other person is sure you are safe.
• If you have any items in your home that you feel you may use to cause harm to yourself, try and lock them away, out of site, or dispose of them. Give them to a trusted person if they are with you.
• Write down your reasons for living. Your trusted person, or the person you are on the phone to, will be happy to talk this through with you.
• If you still do not feel you can keep yourself safe, or the person supporting you doesn’t feel you are safe, you may be asked to go to a place of safety. This could be a hospital environment with clinicians who can help. An emergency services worker (such as an ambulance worker, or a police offer), may support you there.
• If you cannot keep yourself safe, or you cannot access a trusted person or phone line, you can access your local A&E department or phone 999. It is important that you tell them that you feel you may harm yourself.

When you feel you are safe, you can write a safety plan reminding yourself of what to do if you experience this again. An autism advisor can help you access a template safety plan.