If you need someone right now, start here.
MANA isn't a crisis service, and nobody here will be able to answer quickly enough if you need help now. These people can, and they're brilliant.
You can also talk to your GP, or your workplace's EAP if it has one.
If you're worried about someone right now
If you think someone is in immediate danger, call 999 and stay with them if it's safe to. If they're struggling but not in immediate danger, it's fine to ask them directly whether they're thinking about suicide. Asking doesn't put the idea in their head, and it often comes as a relief. Then help them call one of the numbers above, or offer to sit with them while they do.
What MANA is, and isn't
MANA is a free course and a workplace system that helps ordinary people notice, ask and hand over. It isn't therapy, counselling, a crisis line or a replacement for your EAP, occupational health or first aiders. Our volunteers aren't counsellors and are never asked to act like one. Their job is to ask properly and know who to pass it to.
How we keep the course safe
- Crisis numbers are at the end of every video.
- Nobody is asked to share their own experiences, and we only take your details if you ask for a badge at the end.
- The course says up front that it isn't for anyone in crisis right now.
How we look after volunteers
People who hear hard things need somewhere to take them. Every MANA workplace gives its volunteers monthly group supervision and debrief calls after a difficult conversation. That support is for the volunteers. It isn't crisis support for anyone else.
If you contact us and you're struggling
If a message to us sounds like someone is in distress, an automatic reply goes back straight away with the crisis numbers. We'll never reply to anything like that with AI.