Crisis Services

988 offers 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health related distress. That could be thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. 

• Find help for a mental health and substance use crisis in your county.
• If this is a medical or a life-threatening emergency please call 911.
• If you need to contact the police, request a Crisis Intervention Team officer.
• If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis call or text 988 or chat at www.988lifeline.org.
• To reach a Spanish-speaking crisis counselors, call or text 988 and press option 2, text "AYUDA" to 988, or chat online at 988lineadevida.org.
• 988 Performance Dashboard

The statewide Peer Warmline is a phone line staffed by Peer Support Specialists who offer non-clinical support and resources to those in crisis. Peer Support Specialists (or “peers”) are people living in recovery with mental illness and/or substance use disorder who provide support to others who can benefit from their lived experience. Their unique expertise helps reduce stigma while strengthening overall engagement in care. Like 988, North Carolina's Peer Warmline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

• Call 1-855-PEERS NC (855-733-7762) 24/7
• Available to all North Carolinians

People in need of assistance and wanting to speak with a peer can call the Peer Warmline at 1-855-PEERS NC (1-855-733-7762), and people who call 988 will have the option to connect with the Peer Warmline if they prefer to speak with a peer.

Both the NCDHHS Peer Warmline and 988 are available to anyone, anytime. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. 

Mobile Crisis Management services are available 24/7 for crisis prevention or if you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis related to mental health, substance use or developmental disabilities. Mobile Crisis teams can meet you in a safe location, including your home, school, or workplace.

Behavioral Health Urgent Care sites provide immediate care to children, adolescents, adults, or families in crisis. Care may include:

• Assessment and diagnosis for mental illness, substance use and intellectual and developmental disability issues
• Planning and referral for future treatment
• Medication management
• Outpatient treatment
• Short-term follow-up care
• Referral to appropriate level of care 

For more information, reach out to your local crisis provider. 

This service provides an alternative to hospitalization for adults in crisis who have a mental illness, substance abuse disorder or intellectual/developmental disability. Services are provided in a full- time residential facility.
Services include:

• Short-term intensive evaluation
• Treatment intervention
• Behavioral management

Before contacting your local facility-based crisis provider, contact your current mental health, substance use or developmental disabilities service provider or your Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organization access and crisis line.

The Behavioral Health Statewide Central Availability Navigator (BH SCAN) is a web-based application that allows referring facilities to search for an appropriate and available inpatient behavioral health bed based on multiple search criteria including demographics, acuity, commitment status and location. BH SCAN will allow for a statewide view of inpatient psychiatric resources to help inform policy and resource allocation. BH SCAN is available to providers and staff at facilities who routinely encounter behavioral health patients in crisis and to facilities that can assess and treat these individuals including:

• Emergency Departments
• Psychiatric Inpatient Hospitals
• Mobile Crisis Providers  
• Behavioral Health Urgent Care Centers (24/7)
• Facility Based Crisis (FBC)/Non-Hospital Detox
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center (ADATC)
• Clinically Managed Residential Withdrawal Management/Social Setting Detox  
• Medically Monitored Inpatient Withdrawal Management/Non-Hospital Medical Detox  
• Medically Managed Intensive Inpatient & Withdrawal Management Services/Inpatient Hospital Substance Use Disorder Treatment

BH SCAN cannot provide direct crisis support and cannot locate inpatient care for individuals as assessment is necessary to determine appropriate treatment needs.