Crisis hotline

A crisis hotline is a phone number people can call to get immediate emergency telephone counseling, usually by trained volunteers.

The first such service was founded in England in 1951 and such hotlines have existed in most major cities of the English speaking world at least since the mid-1970s.

[15] Bernard Mayes started the San Francisco Suicide Prevention with a hotline named "Call Bruce" in 1962.

In the United States, many college campuses have established telephone counseling lines serviced by volunteers.

[26] The term "emotional support helpline" is sometimes used – which does not imply crisis or counseling, and can include email and text messaging.

Youthline, a youth-oriented crisis helpline in New Zealand, began providing a text messaging counseling support line in 2004.

[27] (0800 543 354) 4357 (Text) 2 3173 - 424 (North Macedonia) The Volunteer Emotional Support Helplines (VESH) represents 1200 member centres in 61 countries.