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Email Samaritans Find it impossible to talk about your problems?

Then don't.

"Someone was prepared to listen. It also helped me think things through by writing it all down and the fact that someone was prepared to read it and effectively listen...helped a lot."

Samaritans caller

Can I get in touch with Samaritans?

Anyone in distress can contact Samaritans at any time of the day or night. Samaritans are contacted every five seconds, by phone, by email or by people coming into our branches. People of all backgrounds and ages contact us for emotional support.

Common reasons to call Samaritans are:

Relationship and family problems
Loss, including loss of a job, a friend or a family member through bereavement
Financial worries
Job-related stress or overwork
College or study related stress
Body image issues

Last year our active volunteers gave 2,446,800 hours of their time to provide confidential non-judgemental emotional support.

If you think you might benefit from confidential emotional support then we are here for you. You do not have to be suicidal to contact us. We will not judge you if you call. We understand that sometimes it can feel difficult to pick up the telephone, so try an email or write a letter to us instead. Sometimes writing down your thoughts can really help understand them better.

"I would tell anyone to call Samaritans because they've always helped me and you haven't got anything to lose. If they don't help you, it's just a phone call, you don't have to tell anyone that you've called them and it's all anonymous. It's worth a try. Even if you aren't on the point of killing yourself, you can still be going through immense pain and distress- almost unbearable - and Samaritans are fantastic at easing your pain."

Samaritans caller

How long does it take to reply to an email?

Emails are always answered by real human volunteers, there are no "automatic" responses. If you email we try our hardest to get back to you within 24 hours. If you need immediate support you can pick up the telephone at any point and speak to a Samaritans volunteer. You can phone 08457 90 90 90 if you are in the UK and 1850 60 90 90 if you are in the Republic of Ireland.

How does the email service work?

Trained Samaritans volunteers provide the same kind of confidential emotional support to people in distress as on the telephone. Emails enter a virtual queue, and are picked up on a rotational basis by a Samaritans volunteer based at one of our branches. No automated responses are used.

Is the email service confidential?

The software that supports Samaritans email service is specially written to be completely confidential and reliable. The software works by removing the sender's details, such as email address, from incoming emails before they are seen by Samaritans volunteers.

Emails are kept on a central server for 30 days so that if you want to email us again, we can see that you have contacted us before. After 30 days, all emails are automatically deleted and no record remains of the emails or the contents.

"It was nice to be able to write my feelings down and no one telling me how stupid I am."

Samaritans caller

Can I send a completely anonymous email?

The easiest way to maintain anonymity is to create a free email address specifically for contacting us. You can do this by visiting web sites such as www.yahoo.co.uk, www.hotmail.com.

Will my email messages always be answered by the same person?

No. We reply to mail daily but each individual volunteer typically replies to mail once or twice a week.

I’m under 18. Will you tell my parents/guardians I contacted you?

Confidentiality of calls is always respected regardless of your age. The volunteer’s primary responsibility is to you, not your parents or guardians. Please note that if you call us from your home phone, Samaritans’ telephone number will appear on an itemised telephone bill.

When was the email service set up?

An increasing number of Samaritans branches across the UK have been offering an emotional support service via email since 1994 and we officially launched the service in 2002. Once Samaritans was confident that it was able to offer a reliable, secure service, it looked to expand the service across the organisation and to begin to raise awareness of it externally. Around 150 branches now answer approximately 400 emails each day.

Why isn't Samaritans using Instant Messaging?

We are currently investigating how we can maintain confidentiality and provide enough volunteers to support Instant Messaging.