Mental Health Crisis Response in Connecticut

Connecticut’s Department for Mental Health & Addiction Services provides a list of local crisis hotlines that you may reach out to for any of your urgent mental health needs. Alternatively, you can find a list of local suicide and crisis response lines here. If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, or just need someone to talk to, you can always call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The State of Mental Health in Connecticut

Connecticut currently ranks 10th in the United States for mental healthcare. Connecticut’s Department for Mental Health & Addiction Services takes an integrative and holistic approach to addressing the mental and behavioral health of their residents. The goal is to provide accessible, high quality treatment for those with mental illness, while sustaining respect, dignity and building self-sufficiency. Although the long-term goal is to increase accessibility to all Connecticut residents, the primary community that DMHAS aims to help in the short-term are adults with severe psychiatric or substance abuse disorders. Other communities of concern include those who suffer from an HIV/AID infection, gambling disorders, and those in the criminal justice system.

Training qualified therapists, counselors, and psychologists, ensures that Connecticut residents will be receiving high quality care. The DMHAS works to alleviate the financial burdens associated with connecting those who suffer from mental illness with therapists, counselors, and appropriate treatment. By increasing awareness, easing access to providers, developing the psychiatric workforce, and engaging with the community and cultivating partnerships based on a common vision - Connecticut is on track to continue to move up in their ranking. You can find more specific information on DMHAS’s strategic goals here.

For assistance in navigating treatment for substance abuse in Connecticut, call Connecticut’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse hotline at 1-844-244-3171. This line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you are LGBTQ+ and you need support, contact The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.

NAMI Connecticut

The National Alliance for Mental Illness, or NAMI, is open to anyone struggling with mental illness. NAMI is an inclusive and community-based resource geared towards raising awareness and supporting group members on their journey to recovery. With group counseling sessions led by a trained member with a diagnosis (past or present), meetings follow a set of 12 principles for support. NAMI meetings are meant to complement your existing treatment plan with your counselor or psychologist. There are many chapters of NAMI that meet in Connecticut. Find yours here.

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