When to seek help

If you are in danger right now

If you are thinking about ending your life, have hurt yourself or feel you cannot keep yourself safe, get help now. In the US, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency. In the UK and Ireland, call Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time; in the UK, call 999 or go to A&E if your life is at risk, or call 111 and choose the mental health option for urgent help. If you are with someone, tell them what is happening.

The World Health Organization notes that many suicides happen in a moment of crisis, when the ability to cope with problems breaks down. Getting through that moment with someone makes a difference. Crises pass, and there is help for afterwards.

Signs it is worth seeing a professional

Low mood, emptiness or loss of interest for most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks or more. The WHO uses this to describe a depressive episode, and the UK health service advises seeing a doctor when low mood lasts more than two weeks.

Worry or anxiety on most days that is hard to control and gets in the way of work, study, sleep or relationships. Repeated panic attacks also deserve an assessment.

Feeling you are not coping with daily life, or noticing that you are using alcohol or other substances to get by.

Finding that self-help, such as the tracks in this app, is not enough.

Strong mood changes

Some people go through periods of very high or irritable mood, with lots of energy, little need for sleep, racing thoughts, fast speech, a sense of grandeur and impulsive decisions, such as spending or risks they would not usually take. Sometimes these periods alternate with spells of depression.

These signs can be part of bipolar disorder and call for a specialist assessment, usually with a psychiatrist. NICE recommends considering referral when such periods have lasted four days or more, and advises against using questionnaires to identify bipolar disorder in primary care. That is why this app does not try to detect it: the way forward is a conversation with a professional.

If you are already being treated, do not stop your medicine on your own, even if you feel better. Talk first to whoever prescribed it.

Where to start

A primary care doctor, a psychologist or a psychiatrist are good places to start. If you have a professional linked in the app, they already follow the records you chose to share, and you can tell them what has changed.

Before the appointment, write down what you have been feeling, since when, what makes it worse and what helps, plus any medicines you take. Your answers about mood and anxiety and your mood check-ins also help tell your story.

Asking for help is part of looking after yourself

Many people put this step off because they feel what they are going through is not serious enough, or out of shame. Anxiety and depression are common and treatable, and seeking help early often makes the road shorter. You do not need to be sure what you have to book a conversation.