Resources

San Diego Suicide Prevention and Support

Help is available! Find easy access to San Diego suicide prevention and mental health resources & support by using the links provided here. If you or someone you care about is experiencing a suicidal or mental health crisis, please call the Access and Crisis Line at (888) 724-7240. Trained and experienced counselors are available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day to provide support, referrals, and crisis intervention. You can also call the Access and Crisis Line if you are concerned about someone, just need to talk, have questions about how to offer support, or if you are looking for information about community resources, mental health referrals, and alcohol and drug support services. If emergency medical care is needed, call 9-1-1 or go to the emergency room of the nearest hospital.

  • San Diego Access and Crisis Line:
    Phone: (888) 724-7240
    Hours of Operation: 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week. The San Diego Access and Crisis Line serves as a suicide prevention/intervention hotline. It provides mental health crisis intervention and information and referral to mental health services in San Diego County, including referrals to mental health care professionals who accept Medi-Cal and those who do not have health insurance. It also provides information and referral to County Drug and Alcohol treatment and recovery services for adults, adolescents and pregnant and parenting women who are receiving Medi-Cal or who do not have health insurance. Calls are FREE and answered by trained professionals. Service is available in multiple languages.

  • San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council (SPC):
    The Suicide Prevention Council is administered by Community Health Improvement partners. The website offers an overview of suicide prevention efforts in San Diego County, data, and how to get involved.  A few key resources include:

    • San Diego Suicide Prevention Action Plan Update – 2018 (PDF):
      The Suicide Prevention Action Plan (SPAP) Update 2018 extends the work of the SPC with strategies designed to expand the coalition’s membership and engage community in a comprehensive approach to reduce suicides in the region. It also proposes new approaches to enhance the measurement of SPC coalition programs and member participation.

    • San Diego County Suicide Prevention Action Plan – 2011  (PDF): 
      This document proposes suicide prevention strategies for San Diego County that enhance efforts to increase understanding and awareness of suicide and decrease stigma associated with suicide, with the goal of reducing the number of suicides in San Diego County.

    • Suicide Prevention Action Plan Executive Summary – 2011 (PDF)

    • Suicide in San Diego County: 1998-2007 (PDF): 
      In this report, the Community Health Improvement Partners’ (CHIP) Suicide Prevention Committee presents data about suicide in the county, overall, and among three distinct age groups: adolescents and young adults, working-aged adults and older adults. The information in this report should prove helpful to those in need of basic information and trends on suicide in San Diego County.

    • Suicide Prevention Trainings:
      Phone: (858) 609-7971
      Community Health Improvement Partners offer free suicide prevention trainings.  QPR, which stands for Question, Persuade and Refer, is an emergency intervention to help a person who is considering suicide. Anyone who is in a position to recognize the signs that someone may be considering suicide is encouraged to sign up for a QPR training. In a one-hour workshop, individuals learn to recognize warning signs, what questions to ask and how to offer hope and help. The workshop is designed for parents, friends, neighbors, teachers, ministers, doctors, nurses, office supervisors, caseworkers, firefighters and many others. QPR trainings are offered at no cost in San Diego.

    • SPC Report To The Community 2020 (PDF)

  • Survivors of Suicide Loss (SOSL):
    Phone: (619) 482-0297
    SOSL provides self-help support groups for those who have lost a relative or friend through suicide. Support materials and a quarterly newsletter are available either electronically or in hard copy. A speaker’s bureau provides information on suicide issues and prevention of suicide.

  • Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program San Diego:
    Phone: (760) 635-5904
    Yellow Ribbon is a community and school-based suicide prevention and outreach program. The website includes tips on how to recognize warning signs, how to reach out and a special section for parents to help them recognize signs of depression in children and teens.

  • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) – San Diego Chapter:
    Phone: 855-869-AFSP (2377)  
    The AFSP San Diego Chapter is dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide. The Chapter offers educational programs for highs schools, colleges, professionals and community groups. The Chapter’s Survivor Outreach Program provides survivors and their families support and reassurance that surviving a suicide loss is possible.

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
    Phone: (800) 273-TALK (8255)
    A free 24-hour hotline available if you or someone you know is in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Press 1 for a dedicated line for veterans and their families.

  • Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC):
    The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) provides prevention support, training and resources to assist organizations to develop suicide prevention programs, interventions and policies and to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.

  • The Jed Foundation:
    This foundation is dedicated to reduce emotional distress and prevent suicide among college students. The website provides resources for students, professionals, parents and friends.

  • San Diego County Suicide Prevention Action Plan Needs Assessment (PDF): 
    This needs assessment, published in March 2011, was conducted to provide local data and evidence to inform individuals, organizations and agencies across San Diego County in the development of a strategic approach to suicide prevention at the local level.

  • Survivors of Suicide:
    The Survivors of Suicide website was developed to help those who have lost a loved one to suicide resolve their grief and pain in their own personal way.

  • California Strategic Plan on Suicide Prevention (PDF):
    The California Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention provides recommendations of the Suicide Prevention Plan Advisory Committee to the California Department of Mental Health.

  • National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action:
    This U.S. Department of Health and Human Services document provides goals and objectives as a blueprint for the nation to take action to prevent suicide.

  • Youth Suicide: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Injury Center:
    The CDC offers national level data and information about suicide among youth, including risk factors and resource recommendations for youth suicide prevention.

  • Resources for Media when Reporting on Suicide:
    Recommendations to improve the way suicide is covered in the media.

  • Understanding Suicide Fact Sheet: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Injury Center (PDF): 
    This two-page fact sheet is intended for the general public and provides a basic overview of suicide, including risk factors, prevention and additional resources.

  • Suicide Facts at a Glance: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Injury Center (PDF): 
    This fact sheet provides up-to-date national level data and statistics on suicide and suicidal behaviors.

  • Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools (PDF): 
    This toolkit assists high schools and school districts in designing and implementing strategies to prevent suicide by promoting behavioral health. It includes tools to implement a multi-faceted suicide prevention program that responds to the needs and cultures of students.

  • Know the Signs:
    Are you concerned about someone? Visit this website to learn the warning signs of suicide, find the words to offer help to someone you are concerned about and reach out to local resources. The website is part of the statewide suicide prevention campaign “Know the Signs” funded by the Mental Health Services Act (formerly known as Prop 63).

  • Fact Sheets About Suicide: American Association of Suicidology:
    This website offers a variety of fact sheets about suicide and suicide prevention, in both English and Spanish, including: