If your friend has taken pills or hurt themselves

Get help now

Call an ambulance if someone has seriously hurt themselves or taken pills or take them to casualty at your nearest hospital. Stay with them until help arrives.

Even if your friend asked you or made you promise not to tell anyone - call an ambulance. Your friend may be mad at you for a bit - but it's more important to keep them alive and well.

For an ambulance, if you live in Australia, dial 000. If you live outside Australia look in your local phone book for the emergency services number. Calling an ambulance if your friend has taken an illegal substance does not mean that the Police will be involved - their main concern will be to make sure you friend is OK.

If they have taken a substance, no matter what they took, get help now. It is not always obvious at first what damage they may be doing. Get them to casualty immediately.

Managing your reaction

It can be normal to feel shocked, scared or sad. It is important that you deal with the feelings and reactions you are having so that they don't become overwhelming.

Talking to someone you trust may help you to manage how you are feeling. You may want to talk to a friend or family member, or it may help to talk to someone like a counsellor. For more information about how a counsellor may be helpful check out the Who can help you section.

The Benefits of talking to someone fact sheet may also help you to decide whether it is worth speaking to someone about how you are feeling. You may also want to check out the Coping with a stressful event fact sheet for more information.

Understanding why someone would want to try and hurt themselves may be tough. It may be helpful to check out the Deliberate self-harm fact sheet or the Worried about a friend who is self-harming fact sheet.