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World Mental Health Day 2026: Support, Wherever You Are

October 9, 2026

Every year on October 10, the World Health Organization and the World Federation for Mental Health mark World Mental Health Day to raise awareness of mental health around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of it. This year’s theme, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change,” puts people who live with mental health conditions at the center and asks the rest of us to listen.

At Ruvixx, our team works from 30 countries and more time zones than any single calendar invite can handle. Working remotely gives us a lot of freedom. It also means a hard week can go unnoticed when nobody shares an office or a coffee break. That’s why our Code asks us to check in on each other as people, beyond the project updates. Looking after your mental health is part of doing great work, and you never have to figure it out alone.

Below you’ll find free support lines for the countries where our teams reside, followed by a few online resources anyone can use, wherever they’re working from.

If you or someone near you is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number first.

Support lines by country

All the lines below are free and confidential. Where a line isn’t open around the clock, we’ve included its hours.

North America
  • United States: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Open 24/7 in English and Spanish.
  • Canada: 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline. Call or text 988. Open 24/7 in English and French. 988.ca
  • Mexico: Línea de la Vida, from the National Commission for Mental Health and Addictions. Call 800 911 2000. Open 24/7.
Central America and the Caribbean
  • Dominican Republic: Línea 811, the new national mental health line from the National Health Service, staffed by clinical psychologists. Call 811.
  • El Salvador: ISSS Te Escucha, from the Salvadoran Social Security Institute, open to everyone, including people who aren’t enrolled in social security. Call 7071-1302.
  • Guatemala: Línea 1582 by ALMA, with psychologists trained in crisis support. Call 1582 or write on WhatsApp to 3007-1582. Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 19:00.
  • Panama: Línea 147 “Llama Ahora,” from the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Health. Call 147 or write on WhatsApp to 6694-2747. Open 24/7.
  • Trinidad and Tobago: Lifeline Trinidad & Tobago. Call 800-5588 or 866-5433. Open 24/7. lifelinett.com
South America
  • Argentina: Línea de Salud Mental, from the Ministry of Health, staffed by psychologists. Call 0800-999-0091. Open 24/7. argentina.gob.ar/dispositivo-0800
  • Bolivia: Familia Segura, run by UNICEF Bolivia with the La Paz College of Psychologists, in Spanish, Aymara and Quechua. Call 800 11 3040 or write on WhatsApp to 777 97 667. Every day, 6:00 to midnight.
  • Brazil: CVV (Centro de Valorização da Vida), offering emotional support since 1962. Call 188 or use the chat on the site. Open 24/7. cvv.org.br
  • Colombia: Línea 106, from the Ministry of Health. Call 106 from any phone. Open 24/7. minsalud.gov.co
  • Ecuador: Ministry of Public Health mental health and crisis support. Call 171 and choose option 6. salud.gob.ec
  • Paraguay: Línea 155, from the Ministry of Public Health, staffed by psychologists and psychiatrists. Call 155 from any phone, no credit needed. Open 24/7.
Europe
  • Germany: TelefonSeelsorge, anonymous support by phone, chat or email. Call 0800 111 0 111, 0800 111 0 222 or 116 123. Open 24/7. telefonseelsorge.de
  • Spain: Línea 024, from the Ministry of Health. Call 024. Open 24/7. sanidad.gob.es/linea024
  • United Kingdom: For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. Samaritans is also there any time at 116 123. Both open 24/7. nhs.uk · samaritans.org
Africa and the Middle East
  • Egypt: Mental health hotline from the Ministry of Health and Population, in Arabic. Call 16328. Open 24/7.
  • South Africa: SADAG (South African Depression and Anxiety Group) Suicide Crisis Helpline. Call 0800 567 567. Open 24/7. sadag.org
  • Zambia: Lifeline/Childline Zambia, counselling by phone, text or web in English and the seven major Zambian languages. Call 933. Open 24/7. clzambia.org
Asia
  • China: 12356, the national psychological assistance hotline from the National Health Commission. Call 12356. For support in English, Lifeline Shanghai is at 400 821 1215, every day from 10:00 to 22:00. lifeline-shanghai.com
  • India: Tele-MANAS, from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in many Indian languages. Call 14416 or 1-800-891-4416. Open 24/7. telemanas.mohfw.gov.in
  • Japan: #Inochi SOS at 0120-061-338 and the Yorisoi Hotline at 0120-279-338, which also offers support in other languages. Both open 24/7 and listed by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. mhlw.go.jp
  • Malaysia: Befrienders Kuala Lumpur. Call +603-7627 2929. Open 24/7. befrienders.org.my The Ministry of Health’s Talian HEAL 15555 is also available every day from 8:00 to midnight, though the call may not be free on every mobile network.
  • Philippines: National Center for Mental Health Crisis Hotline, in English and Filipino. Call 1553, 0919-057-1553(Smart) or 0917-899-8727 (Globe). Open 24/7.

Don’t see your country, or traveling right now? Find A Helpline is a free directory of confidential helplines around the world. Search by country to find support near you.

*All resources were checked in October 2026 to confirm their legitimacy and availability. Please note that information may change over time.

Learn, watch and take care

These resources work wherever you are. Some take five minutes between calls, others are worth saving for a quieter moment.

1. 3 steps to stop remote work burnout · [TED · Video, about 4 min] Author and workplace expert Morra Aarons-Mele on back-to-back video calls, setting boundaries and protecting your energy when home is also the office.

2. Mental health and working remotely · [Mind · Written guide] A practical guide from a leading UK mental health charity on separating work from home, staying connected with your team, managing notifications and spotting burnout early. It also links to a Wellness Action Plan you can fill in for yourself or share with your manager (the download asks for your name and email). A quick note: the phone numbers on this particular entry work in the UK only. For your country, use the list above.

3. How to turn off work thoughts during your free time · [TED · Video, 12 min] Psychologist Guy Winch explains why work keeps following us into the evening and shares three simple ways to switch off.

4. Doing What Matters in Times of Stress · World Health Organization · Illustrated guide (PDF) A free, research-based self-help guide for managing stress, available in more than 50 languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French and German. Download it in the language you’re most comfortable with.

We’re in this together

At Ruvixx, we believe teams do their best work when people look out for each other, wherever they log in from. Save the resources that feel relevant to you, share this list with someone who might need it, and use this World Mental Health Day as a reason to check in on the people you work with.