Online Suicide Help offers links to IM chat, chat rooms (group chat), peer support forums, social media supports, SMS texting services, mobile apps, online self-help resources, professional e-health services, and other crisis directories.
This site is unique in focusing on online mental health services alone, recognizing a preference among many users not to use a phone to call a crisis hotline, but willingness to try a chat option. Seeing a need for an easy way to find a patchwork of IM chat services which are mostly geoblocked to be only available to one country, or even one town, this directory organizes them geographically and alphabetically.
It also features pages highlighting e-mental health services for youth, LGBTQ people, and coping tips from people who’ve been suicidal.
The Online Suicide Help directory was founded in 2011 by Sandra Dawson, and through 2017, it was maintained by Sandra, a suicide attempt survivor who is a mental health advocate with extensive lived experience using e-health services and social media, as well as reviewing resources for Psych Central. It is also maintained by other volunteers.
In 2018, because where the site was being hosted (Wikispaces) decided to shutter its doors, the site was transferred to the stewardship of Psych Central. Psych Central changed ownership in 2020, so Unsuicide is now hosted and maintained by Dr. John Grohol, with the help of a handful of volunteers. Dr. Grohol runs the support groups at My Support Forums (originally the Psych Central Forums, established in 2001).
If you are at imminent risk of suicide or have already harmed yourself, please go to a hospital. If you have less acute suicidal feelings, please reach out via technology for support and ways to cope.
If you’d like us to add, remove, or edit a resource, please email us at: talkback at unsuicide.org
This site is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It’s not intended to diagnose or treat suicidal people or provide medical advice. Information is provided without warranty or condition, express or implied, statutory or otherwise, as to quality, accuracy, legality, reliability, efficacy, or completeness. Users of this site do so at their own risk and by using agree to indemnify the provider from any and all liability, loss, injury, damages, costs, and expenses (including legal fees and expenses) arising from use of information on this site.