Suicide Hotlines and Crisis Lines in Malaysia
❝Crisis lines and suicide hotlines in Malaysia offer you the lifeline you need when you need it most. Reaching out is a step worth taking.❞
IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS, PLEASE READ THIS FIRST. If you are in immediate danger or thinking about harming yourself, get help now. Dial 999, Malaysia's single emergency number for the police, fire and rescue, ambulance, civil defence and maritime enforcement. The Malaysia Civil Defence Force states on its own page that every call to the 999 emergency line is free. You can also go to the emergency department of your nearest hospital. For readers outside Malaysia, there is a worldwide list of emergency numbers and a list of helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide.
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 government counselling officers, trained volunteers or professional counsellors, depending on the service. If you are not in Malaysia, 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. Several of these lines are toll-free, and a number of organisations publish no call cost at all, so we say so rather than guess.
The lines that answer at any hour come first, then the national lines with set hours, then the Befrienders centres city by city. Hours are given for every entry, because most of the centres answer for only part of the day.
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 MALAYSIA
Each number below was checked in September 2026 at the operating organisation's own website, or at an official Malaysian government page.
Notice an error or a missing service? Please tell us so we can correct it.
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Find your therapist999, Malaysia's emergency number
Talian HEAL 15555, the Ministry of Health's crisis line
MIASA Crisis Helpline, 1800 180 066
Befrienders Kuala Lumpur, answered 24 hours
Talian Kasih 15999, the government's 24-hour care line
Life Line Association Malaysia, 15995
Buddy Bear Children Helpline, 1800 18 2327
Women's Aid Organisation, and its TINA text line
Malaysian Mental Health Association, an office line
Befrienders Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
While you are waiting to be answered
If you are worried about someone else
999, Malaysia's emergency number
Malaysia runs one emergency number for everything. The Malaysia Civil Defence Force explains on its own page that 991, 994 and 999 were combined into a single number on 1 October 2007.
The Government of Malaysia portal describes Malaysia Emergency Response Services, MERS 999, as one system carrying the emergency services of five agencies on a single number: the Royal Malaysia Police, the Fire and Rescue Department, the Ministry of Health, the Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Civil Defence Force.
Tel: 999
Cost: free, in the Civil Defence Force's own words.
Talian HEAL 15555, the Ministry of Health's crisis line
Talian HEAL 15555 is Malaysia's national mental health crisis line, run by the Ministry of Health through its National Centre of Excellence in Mental Health. The Ministry's own name for it is Talian Krisis Kesihatan Mental Kebangsaan, which means the national mental health crisis line.
In the Ministry's own words, it is a service that responds to calls and reports of crises relating to mental health, suicidal behaviour, self-harm or harm to others, and to post-vention follow-up in the community. Calls are answered by the Ministry's own Counselling Psychology Officers, and the line is open to members of the public, to non-governmental organisations and to people who are not Malaysian citizens.
The Ministry publishes the scope of the line as depression, stress, anxiety and panic attacks, suicidal behaviour, advice for families and carers of people living with mental illness, and post-vention support.
Tel: 15555
Hours: the Ministry states that the line "beroperasi setiap hari termasuk cuti umum", meaning it operates every day including public holidays. It does not publish a daily opening window on any page we could reach, so we do not print one. If you need someone at night and this line does not answer, MIASA and Befrienders Kuala Lumpur below are both answered 24 hours.
Cost: not published on the Ministry pages we checked.
For ongoing care rather than a crisis, the Ministry also runs MENTARI, a network of community mental health centres. It is a referral route, not a helpline, and it publishes no crisis number.
MIASA Crisis Helpline, 1800 180 066
MIASA is the Mental Illness Awareness and Support Association. It runs this helpline with Yayasan Sime Darby, and its crisis team members are trained in crisis management and trauma-informed care, mental health literacy and suicide prevention. Some are also trained as suicide first aiders and peer support specialists.
In MIASA's own words: "Are you struggling with mental health or emotional issues and feel that you don't have anyone to talk to? You can call our trained volunteers to express your emotions, talk about your struggles, receive support."
MIASA does not use the word national about this line. It is a 1800 toll-free number, MIASA is a national association based in Petaling Jaya, and no geographic limit is published, so it is reported here as a line for the whole country rather than asserted as one.
Tel: 1800 180 066
WhatsApp: 03-9765 6088, published by MIASA as its crisis WhatsApp
Hours: "runs for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week", in MIASA's own words.
Cost: "completely FREE", in MIASA's own words.
Befrienders Kuala Lumpur, answered 24 hours
Befrienders Kuala Lumpur says it is there "for anyone feeling lonely, overwhelmed, or having thoughts of suicide", 24 hours a day, every day. Emotional support is offered by trained volunteers, described on its own page as "compassionate listening and a safe space to share your struggles and pain". The centre also supports people worried about someone else, and people bereaved by suicide.
This is the Kuala Lumpur centre rather than a national service, but it is the only one of the nine Befrienders centres open around the clock, so in practice it is the night-time option for the whole country.
The National Council of Befrienders Malaysia is the umbrella body for the nine centres and handles administrative matters only. It is not itself a helpline and publishes no number. All nine centres are listed on this page.
Tel: +603-7627 2929
Hours: "24 hours", in the centre's own words.
Cost: free, in the centre's own words.
Talian Kasih 15999, the government's 24-hour care line
Talian Kasih, which means the care line, is run by KPWKM, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, or Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat. It is the only government number in Malaysia we could verify as answered around the clock.
Be clear about what it is for. Its published remit leads with abuse, child neglect, sexual harassment and baby abandonment. The Ministry adds that callers can also reach counselling, welfare services, protection assistance, reproductive health services and youth social guidance through it. So it is a welfare and protection line first, and it is listed here with that scope stated rather than as a suicide line.
Tel: 15999
WhatsApp: 019-261 5999
App: Talian Kasih, published by the Ministry alongside the number
Hours: "24 jam, 7 hari seminggu", meaning 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the Ministry's own words.
Cost: toll-free. The Ministry prints it as "Talian Bebas Tol", meaning a toll-free line.
Life Line Association Malaysia, 15995
Life Line Association Malaysia, or Persatuan Life Line Malaysia, is a Kuala Lumpur counselling association working toward what it calls a society moving toward zero suicide. It is staffed by around 200 professionally trained volunteers, and says it has accompanied more than 44,000 lives over 32 years.
Alongside the telephone hotline it offers free face-to-face counselling by appointment, email counselling and play therapy. Its site is in Chinese with an English version, which points to Mandarin and English on the line, although the association does not publish a language list.
Tel: 15995
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 6.30am to 1.30am the following morning, which the association publishes as a 19 hour day. There is no Sunday listing, so the line is not answered on Sundays.
Cost: not published for the hotline.
Buddy Bear Children Helpline, 1800 18 2327
Buddy Bear is run by HumanKind and is, in its own words, "the first helpline dedicated to serving children in Malaysia", for children aged 6 to 18 who want to talk about their worries. It is answered by screened volunteers using psychological first aid, supported by trained and licensed professionals.
HumanKind states that all volunteers are background-checked against the sexual offenders list and sign an ethical agreement.
Tel: 1800 18 2327
WhatsApp: +6012 235 5463
Hours: "Monday to Sunday 06.00 pm to 12.00 am", in HumanKind's own words.
Cost: not stated in words. The number sits in Malaysia's toll-free range, which is not the same as the organisation saying the call is free.
Women's Aid Organisation, and its TINA text line
The Women's Aid Organisation, WAO, supports women facing domestic violence and abuse. TINA, which the organisation says stands for "Think I Need Aid", is its SMS and WhatsApp channel, started in 2014 alongside the voice hotline.
In WAO's own words: "Through the WAO Hotline and TINA, women can also make appointments for face-to-face consultations, and subsequently access other services such as shelter and social work."
The two channels keep different hours and it matters which one you use at night.
Tel: +603 3000 8858, the WAO Hotline
Hours for the hotline: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am to 4pm.
SMS and WhatsApp: +6018 988 8058, TINA
Hours for TINA: "24 hours", in WAO's own words.
Cost: not published.
Telenita Helpline, from AWAM
Telenita is run by AWAM, the All Women's Action Society, an independent feminist non-profit founded in 1985. In its own words the helpline "provides free legal information and well-being counseling for survivors of gender-based violence", and it connects callers to relevant service providers across Malaysia.
AWAM prints two numbers together under the heading Telenita Helpline and does not say which is which. Its page offers a WhatsApp chat, but does not name the number behind it, so both are given below as telephone numbers. An earlier version of this page treated the second as the WhatsApp line, which we could not confirm.
Tel: 016-2374 221
Tel: 016-2284 221
Hours: "Monday - Friday: 9:30 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.", in AWAM's own words.
Cost: the counselling and the legal information are free. AWAM does not state what the call itself costs.
Malaysian Mental Health Association, an office line
The Malaysian Mental Health Association, MMHA, is a national association providing therapy, counselling, psychological services and mental health first aid training, and it publishes a therapist directory. The number below reaches its office, not a crisis line, and MMHA labels it that way itself. Therapy sessions are charged.
Tel: +603-2780 6803
Tel: +6017-6133039
Hours: "Mondays to Fridays, 9 am to 5 pm", and on a second MMHA page, "except public holidays".
Cost: not published for the call. MMHA's therapy services are charged.
The eight Befrienders centres below are listed by how long each is open, longest first. They are separate centres with their own numbers and their own hours, and none of them is open all night. Readers in East Malaysia should look for Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, which are the only two centres in Sabah and Sarawak.
Befrienders Penang
Befrienders Penang offers emotional support to people who are distressed, depressed or suicidal. In its own words: "If you need someone to talk to, our volunteers are ready to listen. Remember, it's okay to ask for help, and we're here for you."
Tel: 04-2910100, which the centre also prints as +604-291 0100
WhatsApp, text only: 6011-5670 6261
Hours: "every day from 3 PM to 12 AM", in the centre's own words.
Cost: not published.
Befrienders Ipoh
Befrienders Ipoh is the centre for Ipoh and Perak. Befrienders centres work autonomously but share the same principles, offering emotional support and public education for the prevention of suicide.
Tel: +605-547 7933
Tel: +605-547 7955
Hours: "1pm to 10pm daily".
Cost: not published.
Befrienders Johor Bahru
Befrienders Johor Bahru is the centre for Johor Bahru and its surrounds. It publishes a separate email address for seafarers alongside its general one, which is unusual among the centres and reflects the port.
Tel: +607-267 0707
WhatsApp, text only: +607-331 2300
Hours: "1pm to 10pm daily".
Cost: not published.
Befrienders Malacca
Befrienders Malacca offers emotional support to people who are distressed, depressed or suicidal, in Malacca.
Tel: +606-225 0791
Hours: "7pm to 12am daily".
Cost: not published.
Befrienders Muar, Johor
Befrienders Muar is the centre for Muar in Johor. Its own site lists what people bring to it as family, love affairs, friendship, career and sickness.
Tel: 06-2250792, which the network also prints as +606-225 0792
Hours: "8.00pm to 11.00pm daily", in the centre's own words.
Cost: not published.
Befrienders Seremban
Befrienders Seremban offers emotional support to people who are distressed, depressed or suicidal, in Seremban and Negeri Sembilan.
Tel: +606-632 1772
Tel: +606-632 1773
WhatsApp, text only: +6018-969 1772
Hours: "7pm to 10pm daily".
Cost: not published.
Befrienders Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Befrienders Kota Kinabalu is one of only two Befrienders centres in East Malaysia, and the one for Sabah.
Tel: +6088-25 5788
WhatsApp, text only: +6016-803 6945
Hours: "7pm to 10pm daily".
Cost: not published.
Befrienders Kuching, Sarawak
Befrienders Kuching is the other East Malaysian centre, and the one for Sarawak. The same number takes calls and text messages.
Tel: +6082-24 2800
WhatsApp, text only: the same number
Hours: "6.30pm to 9.30pm daily".
Cost: not published.
While you are waiting to be answered
A line that is open can still be busy, and most of the Befrienders centres above answer for only part of the day. 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 999, or go to the emergency department of your nearest hospital. 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. Befrienders Kuala Lumpur says plainly that it is there for people worried about someone else, and Talian HEAL's published scope includes advice for families and carers.
For services in other countries, see the list of helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide.
Important: TherapyRoute does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes and cannot replace consulting a healthcare professional. If you face an emergency, please contact a local emergency service. For immediate emotional support, consider contacting a local helpline.
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