Mental Health Resources and Links
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and KCAL Cares is working is a number of local organization to raise money to help their missions, especially following January's deadly wildfires. There are a number of organizations and resources that offer an array of services and support to those who might be struggling or need some help.
Here is a list of resources in Southern California and nationwide:
Los Angeles Department of Mental Health
- For 24/7 Help, please call the LADMH Help Line at (800) 854-7771
- Access Center for Service Referrals, Crisis Assessments and Field Deployments – available 24/7
- Offers Mental health screening and assessment and/or Referral to a service provider. Also:
- Crisis counseling
- Mobilizing field response teams
- Linkages to other services and resources
- Emotional Support Warm Line with Trained Active Listeners – available 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily (option 2 when calling the Help Line).
- Veteran Line for Mental Health Support and Connection to Veteran Programs – available 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily (option 3 when calling the Help Line).
Additional help lines and resources
- Crisis Text Line: Text LA to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor and receive free crisis support via text message.
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255; The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline connects you with a crisis center closest to your location. Your call will be answered confidentially by a trained crisis worker who will listen empathetically, work to ensure that you feel safe, and help identify options and information about mental health services in your area.
- Disaster Distress Helpline: (800) 985-5990; The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress Helpline provides crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.
- Trevor Project Lifeline: (800) 788-7386; The Trevor Lifeline provides support to LGBTQ youths and allies in crisis or in need of a safe and judgment-free place to talk.
- Substance Abuse Service Helpline: (844) 804-7500; Operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, this hotline provides screening, resources and service referrals regarding substance use disorders.
- 211 LA County: Dial 2-1-1 within Los Angeles County; 211 LA County is the hub for all types of health, human and social services in Los Angeles County, providing callers with information and referrals to the services that best meet their needs.
- Los Angeles Homeless Outreach Portal (LA-HOP) Operated by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), LA-HOP is designed to assist people experiencing homelessness by dispatching homeless outreach teams throughout Los Angeles County.
- L.A. Found: (833) 569-7651 or LAFound@wdacs.lacounty.gov; L.A. Found is a countywide initiative to help locate individuals who wander due to dementia, Alzheimer's, autism or other cognitive impairing conditions. Watch this video to learn more about L.A. Found.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): (800) 950-6264; NAMI is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
- Didi Hirsch Center provides psychological and psychiatric services to children and adults.
