Mental Health Crisis Options in New York City Compared
Short answer
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For urgent help that is not life-threatening, call or text 988, which in New York City reaches NYC 988 and can send a Mobile Crisis Team between 8 am and 8 pm. Hospital psychiatric emergency rooms and CPEPs provide emergency psychiatric evaluation around the clock, and crisis residences offer a short stay instead of a hospital.
In crisis or thinking about suicide? Call or text 988 now (in New York City it reaches NYC 988). If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
This guide is not enough if
- Someone is hurt, has taken an overdose or has a weapon: call 911 now.
- You are outside New York City: call or text 988 to reach a local crisis center.
- You need ongoing therapy or medication care after the crisis has passed.
- You are asking about involuntary hospital admission rules. Those are set by New York law and are not covered here.
Start here if it is happening now
Call 911 if someone is at immediate risk of harming themselves or someone else. NYC 988 gives examples: a suicide attempt in progress, someone wielding a knife, or a person who has thoughts of suicide with a plan, intent and steps toward acting on it. Call 911 for medical emergencies too, such as an overdose or an injury.
If it is urgent but not life-threatening, or you are not sure, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. NYC 988 says a trained counselor will help work out the next step, which may be 911 or a crisis service that does not involve police. Mind Body Seven cannot respond to emergencies, so use 988 or 911, not the office line. The telephone hotlines page lists more lines.
| Option | When it fits | How to reach it | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 911 | Immediate danger to life, a medical emergency, a weapon, or an attempt in progress | Call 911 | 24/7 |
| 988 (NYC 988) | Urgent distress, thoughts of suicide without immediate danger, or you are not sure what to do | Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org | 24/7, 365 days |
| Mobile Crisis Team | A non-life-threatening crisis where the person will not or cannot seek care alone | Call 988 and ask for one | 8 am to 8 pm, 7 days |
| Psychiatric ER or CPEP | Emergency psychiatric evaluation, or a team or 911 decides a person needs assessment | Go to the hospital, or 911 or a team takes you | 24/7 |
| Crisis residence or respite | More support than home can give, without a hospital stay | Usually through 988 or a provider | 24-hour supervision |
988 and NYC 988: someone to call
In New York City, 988 is answered by NYC 988, the city's free and confidential crisis, support and referral service. Its FAQ says it is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is operated by Vibrant Emotional Health on behalf of the NYC Health Department. You can reach a trained crisis counselor or a peer support specialist by call, text or chat.
The Health Department describes 988 as the city's "someone to call" and often the entry point to the services below. Counselors can refer you to community providers, and the NYC 988 site has a searchable directory of services. For a step-by-step look at what happens on the line, see what happens when you call 988.
Mobile Crisis Teams: someone to come to you
A Mobile Crisis Team meets the person in crisis face to face, often at home, along with family or other supports. NYC 988 says most teams pair a professional, such as a master's-level clinician, with a peer support staff person. The goal is to calm the situation, assess it and connect the person to care while avoiding unneeded police involvement, emergency room visits and hospital stays.
To request a team, call 988. You can ask for one for yourself or for a family member, friend or acquaintance. NYC 988 lists these details:
- Teams work 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week, including holidays, and generally respond within several hours.
- The person must be in New York City and in, or at risk of, a non-life-threatening crisis, and either unwilling or unable to seek care on their own, or in need of short-term support until services are available.
- Teams bill insurance, but you do not need insurance, and they respond regardless of immigration or insurance status.
- If a person needs more assessment, a team can take them to a hospital psychiatric emergency room.
- Teams may direct police or EMS to take a person to an emergency room against their will only if the person has, or appears to have, a mental illness and is a danger to themselves or others, as New York's Mental Hygiene Law provides.
- People who are street homeless are usually better served by city outreach teams, reached through 311.
Psychiatric emergency rooms and CPEPs
NYC 988 says 911 can send an ambulance to take a person to a Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) or a psychiatric emergency room. You can also go yourself. New York's Office of Mental Health (OMH) defines a CPEP as a hospital-based program that offers crisis outreach, intervention and residential services, and may have extended observation beds for adults for up to 72 hours.
OMH guidance says CPEP emergency services run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and that triage includes a face-to-face visit with a physician or psychiatric nurse practitioner, started within six hours of arrival. In some neighborhoods, 911 may send a B-HEARD team of FDNY EMTs and a mental health professional; callers cannot ask for one, and 911 decides based on the call.
When you call 911, say that it is a mental health emergency, give the exact address, and say whether there is a weapon. The city's B-HEARD page (opens in a new tab) says that when a weapon or an imminent risk of harm is involved, 911 sends the usual response, which includes NYPD officers and an ambulance. If you can, bring a list of the person's medicines and their clinician's name to the hospital.
Somewhere to go: crisis residences and other centers
Some people need more support than they can get at home but do not need a hospital. The Health Department funds crisis residences as an alternative to hospitalization, and says 988 often serves as the way in. These options differ:
- Crisis residence. OMH defines it as a residence with 24-hour supervision, generally for up to 30 days, for adults or children and teens with acute symptoms or a temporary loss of support, designed to avoid hospitalization.
- Crisis respite center. NYC 988 describes a temporary stay in a home-like setting where you can come and go, with peer support around the clock and links to medical and psychiatric providers. The guide on peer support explains what peers do.
- Crisis stabilization center. OMH licenses supportive and intensive centers that offer voluntary care for up to 24 hours, with an emphasis on peer support. Ask 988 whether one is near you.
- Support and Connection Center. The Mayor's Office of Community Mental Health describes two city centers, in East Harlem and the Bronx, that give first responders an alternative to the ER or jail. People are referred there, so you generally cannot walk in.
When this guide is not the right step
Crisis services are built for hours and days, not months. Once the crisis passes, most people move to ongoing care, and the guide to levels of mental health care compares outpatient visits with more intensive programs. Writing a safety plan with a clinician can help you know which option to use next time.
Mind Body Seven is an outpatient practice, with an office in Brooklyn and telehealth across New York State. It can be a place for follow-up care after a crisis, and you can contact the practice when things are calmer, but it is not a crisis service. If you are in danger now, call 911.
After an ER visit or a crisis stay, ask before you leave who will follow up with you and when, and keep any discharge papers to share with your next clinician. NYC 988 also lists follow-up among its services, to check that you have connected to care and that it is working for you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I call 988 for someone else in New York City?
Yes. NYC 988 says you can reach out for yourself or for someone you care about, and you can ask for a Mobile Crisis Team for a family member, friend or acquaintance. A counselor will help you decide what to do next. If the person is in immediate danger, such as an attempt in progress, call 911 instead.
Will the police come if I call 988?
Usually not. SAMHSA says most crises are handled by counselors without police, and that 911 is contacted for a small share of callers, when there is an imminent risk to life that cannot be reduced during the call. Many of those happen with the caller's agreement. Mobile Crisis Teams also aim to avoid unneeded police involvement.
What is the difference between a CPEP and a regular emergency room?
A CPEP is a hospital-based psychiatric emergency program licensed by New York's Office of Mental Health. OMH says it provides psychiatric triage, evaluation and treatment around the clock and may have extended observation beds for adults for up to 72 hours. A general ER treats all medical emergencies; some hospitals have a psychiatric emergency room instead of a CPEP.
Does a Mobile Crisis Team cost money in NYC?
NYC 988 says teams bill insurance and also use public funding, so they will ask for insurance information. You do not need insurance to get help, and teams respond regardless of a person's immigration or insurance status. If you have questions about a bill afterward, call your insurer and ask how crisis services are covered.
What can I do if a crisis happens late at night?
988 is open 24 hours a day by call, text or chat, and CPEP emergency services run around the clock. Mobile Crisis Teams work 8 am to 8 pm, so overnight, talk with a 988 counselor about the safest next step, which may be a hospital visit or waiting for daytime services. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Next: get ready to decide
The six parts of a written safety plan, how to make your space safer, and who can help you write one.
Sources
- NYC 988: Mobile Crisis Teams
- NYC 988: FAQ
- NYC Health Department: Testimony on NYC 988 before the City Council, 26 September 2025
- NYS Office of Mental Health: Licensed Program Type Definitions
- NYS Office of Mental Health: CPEP Program Guidance (14 NYCRR Part 590)
- NYC 988: Crisis Respite
- NYC Mayor's Office of Community Mental Health: Support and Connection Centers
- SAMHSA: 988 Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by Dr. Beata Lewis, MD, Founder and Clinical Director, board-certified in adult psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and integrative medicine on November 8, 2026. Facts checked against the sources above on November 8, 2026. This guide is general education, not medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and reading it does not make you a patient of Mind Body Seven. For advice about your situation, talk with a licensed clinician.