Suicide Hotlines and Crisis Lines in Iceland

A helpline is a place to talk to someone when you are struggling, before or instead of a crisis. The lines on this page are answered by trained volunteers or counsellors, depending on the service. If you are not in Iceland, the worldwide list is organised by country.

What you share is kept private in almost all cases; if a counsellor believes a life is in immediate danger, they may arrange urgent help. What each service costs is set out beside it below.

TherapyRoute is a directory. We do not answer calls or messages ourselves, so please use the numbers below rather than contacting us if you need someone now.

CRISIS LINES, SUICIDE HOTLINES, AND HELPLINES IN ICELAND

Each number below was checked in September 2026 at the operating organisation's own website, or at 112.is and island.is, Iceland's official government pages.

Notice an error or a missing service? Please tell us so we can correct it.

112, the emergency number

Hjálparsíminn 1717, the Red Cross helpline and web chat

Píeta samtökin, the suicide-prevention line for adults, 552 2218

Bráðamóttaka geðþjónustu, psychiatric emergency at Landspítali

While you are waiting to be answered

If you are worried about someone else

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112, the emergency number

112 is Iceland's single emergency number, run by Neyðarlínan. It covers police, ambulance, fire and rescue; there are no separate sector numbers. Its own site says: "In an emergency call 112, or click 112 web chat to start a conversation with an emergency operator," and "112 emergency operators are on duty around the clock all year round."

Tel: 112

Chat: 112 web chat, on the operator's own site. Requests also reach 112 through the 112 app and SMS.

Hjálparsíminn 1717, the Red Cross helpline and web chat

Hjálparsíminn 1717 og netspjallið (Helpline 1717 and the web chat) is run by Rauði krossinn á Íslandi, the Icelandic Red Cross, and answered by trained volunteers. In the organisation's own words, "You can get in touch about anything on your mind and receive psychosocial support, counselling, listening and information about the resources available in Icelandic society." The examples it names include loneliness, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and self-harm, and its page states plainly that 1717 is not a substitute for professional treatment.

The service is national, answered from two sites in the country. If you do not speak Icelandic, you can ask to speak English. For security reasons, the operator states, 1717 can no longer be called from a withheld number.

Tel: 1717

Tel: +354 580 1710, toll-free from abroad, published by the operator itself.

Chat: linked from the organisation's own page and from its entry on 112.is.

Hours: in the organisation's own words, "It is open every day of the year, around the clock."

Cost: free, and the organisation adds that you do not need to have credit on your phone.

Píeta samtökin, the suicide-prevention line for adults, 552 2218

Píeta samtökin (the Píeta organisation) is Iceland's suicide- and self-harm prevention charity, and its helpline is for adults aged 18 and over. Its own page: "The Píeta organisation runs a helpline around the clock, every day of the year. The number is 552-2218. Counsellors give advice to everyone who calls, book appointments with professionals, or refer to other resources if needed." If you are under 18, 1717 and 112 are open to you at any hour.

Beyond the line, Píeta provides free treatment for people at risk of suicide or self-harm and support for their relatives, including the bereaved. Its treatment staff all hold Directorate of Health licences: psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and a physician. Face-to-face services run in Reykjavík, Akureyri, Ísafjörður and Reyðarfjörður. The Red Cross itself points callers to Píeta when the concern is suicide or suicidal thoughts.

Tel: 552 2218

Hours: in the organisation's own words, "The Píeta line is open around the clock - get in touch!"

Cost: the organisation states, "The service is for ages 18 and over and is free of charge."

Bráðamóttaka geðþjónustu, psychiatric emergency at Landspítali

Bráðamóttaka geðþjónustu (psychiatric emergency reception) at Landspítali, the National University Hospital, receives people in person. Its own page: "At the psychiatric emergency reception, people with an acute mental health problem are received without a referral, and relatives can have a conversation if they wish." Landspítali is the national hospital, but this walk-in service is in Reykjavík.

Reception for acute mental health problems is open around the clock, but the door changes by time of day. The psychiatric building at Hringbraut is open weekdays 12:00 to 19:00 and weekends and holidays 13:00 to 17:00; at other times, the hospital says, go to the emergency department in Fossvogur.

Tel: 543 4050, psychiatric emergency reception.

Tel: 543 1000, the hospital switchboard.

Cost: not published on the page we read.

While you are waiting to be answered

A line that is open can still be busy. If you are waiting, try to stay with someone you trust, or ask someone to sit with you until the call connects.

If you have anything near you that you could use to harm yourself, put it somewhere harder to reach, or ask someone else to hold it for you. Distance and time both help.

If waiting is not possible, dial 112, use the 112 web chat, or go to a hospital emergency department. You do not need an appointment and you do not need to explain yourself well.

If you are worried about someone else

Ask them directly. Asking someone whether they are thinking of suicide does not put the idea there, and it often comes as a relief to be asked plainly.

Listen more than you advise. You do not need the right words, and you are not expected to fix anything.

If they are willing, offer to sit with them while they call one of the numbers above, or to make the call together. If they are in immediate danger, treat it as you would any medical emergency.

Supporting someone through this is heavy, and it is reasonable to want support of your own. Píeta states that it offers conversations and support to the relatives of people at risk, including those who have been bereaved, and 1717 is open to anyone about anything on their mind.

For services in other countries, see the list of helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide.

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