Crisis Resources in UAE: What to Do in a Mental Health Emergency

This article is general information published by the practice of Dr. Sholeh Toobaei, Specialist Psychiatrist, Dubai. It has not yet been individually reviewed by a clinician and is not a substitute for personal medical advice. Published: 1 September 2026.

Scope: This article provides general information about mental health crisis resources in the UAE. It is not a substitute for professional help in an emergency.

What is a mental health emergency?

A mental health emergency is any situation in which a person is at immediate risk of harming themselves or others, or is unable to care for their basic needs due to psychological distress. It is a medical emergency — not a moral failing, not a character weakness, not something to handle through willpower. It is a condition that requires professional medical intervention, just like a heart attack or a severe allergic reaction.

Signs that a situation is a mental health emergency:

• Saying you want to die or kill yourself, or talking about wanting to self-harm
• Making a plan for suicide or self-harm, or gathering the means to do it
• Attempting suicide or self-harm (current or very recent)
• Experiencing a psychotic episode (hallucinations, delusions, severe disorganisation)
• Being unable to eat, drink, or care for basic needs due to psychological distress
• Severe agitation or aggression that puts the person or others at risk
• A drug or alcohol overdose (intentional or accidental)

If you are in crisis right now

Call 999 (police) or 998 (ambulance) in the UAE. This is the fastest way to get emergency help. Tell the operator: "This is a mental health emergency" or "Someone I know is a danger to themselves." The operator will dispatch help.

Go to the nearest emergency department. All hospitals in the UAE have emergency departments that are equipped to handle acute medical and psychiatric emergencies. If you can, go with someone you trust — a friend, a family member, a colleague. Do not drive yourself if you are in an altered state.

If you are with someone else who is in crisis: stay with them. Do not leave them alone. Remove anything they could use to harm themselves — medications, sharp objects, weapons. Speak calmly and reassuringly. You do not need to be a professional — you need to be present and practical.

What happens in the emergency department

The emergency department will first address any immediate medical concerns — are you safe? Are you medically stable? Do you need detoxification if there has been a substance overdose? Once medical stability is confirmed, a psychiatric assessment can begin.

In the UAE, emergency psychiatric assessment in government hospitals is available to all residents (including those without insurance) for acute emergencies. Private hospitals may require insurance pre-authorisation for non-immediate emergencies, but in a true life-threatening emergency, treatment is provided first and authorisation is handled afterwards.

The assessment typically involves a conversation with a psychiatrist about what brought you to the emergency department, your current symptoms, your history, and your current risk level. Based on this assessment, the psychiatrist will recommend one of several paths:

Discharge with follow-up. If you are assessed as low risk — you have thoughts but no plan, no intent, and you have reliable support at home — you may be discharged with a referral for outpatient follow-up and instructions on when to return.

Short observation. If the risk level is unclear, you may be held in the emergency department for a few hours of observation while the assessment team gathers more information (contacting family, reviewing previous records).

Inpatient admission. If you are assessed as moderate to high risk — you have a plan, you have the means, you have a history of attempts, or you cannot guarantee your own safety — the psychiatrist may recommend hospitalisation. Involuntary admission is possible under UAE mental health law if a person is deemed a danger to themselves or others and refuses admission.

Crisis hotlines and helplines

The UAE has a limited number of mental health crisis hotlines. While these are not a substitute for emergency services (999/998), they can provide immediate support and guidance:

WASSIL. The Dubai social support service (call 600 590 000 or visit a social support centre) can provide crisis support and connect you with mental health resources, particularly for Emirati citizens and residents facing family or social crises.

I'm Here. A mental health awareness and support initiative by the Dubai Health Authority that provides information and guidance about mental health services in Dubai.

Your employer's EAP. Many larger employers in the UAE offer an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that includes a confidential helpline for employees and sometimes their families. Check with your HR department.

International helplines. If you are uncomfortable speaking with local services (language, cultural, or other reasons), international helplines like the International Suicide Prevention Against Isolation (I-SPIA) or Befrienders.org (befrienders.org) offer free, confidential support by email and in some cases phone, with volunteers in many languages.

It is important to note: the UAE does not yet have a dedicated national mental health crisis hotline (like 988 in the US or 111 in the UK). For immediate, life-threatening emergencies, 999 or 998 is the only reliable option.

How to help someone else in crisis

If someone you know is showing signs of a mental health emergency, here is what you can do:

Ask directly. "Are you thinking about killing yourself?" Asking about suicide does not plant the idea in someone's head — research consistently shows that asking about suicide reduces anxiety and often provides relief. People who are suicidal often feel isolated in their thinking; being asked directly can be the first time they feel safe enough to tell the truth.

Listen without judgement. Do not argue with someone about whether their feelings are justified. Do not tell them "life is beautiful" or "they would be missed." Do not minimise their pain. Listen, acknowledge their suffering ("I can see this is incredibly hard for you"), and let them know you are there with them.

Do not leave them alone. If someone is actively suicidal, they should not be alone. Stay with them, or make sure someone else is with them. Call 999 or 998 if they are in immediate danger.

Help them access professional care. Offer to make the call, offer to go with them to the emergency department, offer to contact their psychiatrist. A person in crisis often cannot make these calls on their own — not because they do not want help, but because the condition has temporarily impaired their ability to act.

Follow up. A crisis does not end when the emergency is over. The days and weeks after a suicide attempt or a severe crisis are a period of elevated risk. Check in on the person. Regularly. Not once. Not twice. Regularly.

What NOT to do in a crisis

Do not argue or debate. You cannot reason someone out of a state that they did not reason themselves into. Severe depression, psychosis, and acute suicidal crisis are medical states, not intellectual positions. Arguing ("You have so much to live for") is not helpful and often makes the person feel more misunderstood.

Do not promise confidentiality. If someone tells you they are thinking about suicide, you cannot promise not to tell anyone. Their life is more important than their confidence in that moment. Tell them: "I care about you too much to keep this to myself. I am going to help you get professional support."

Do not minimise. "Other people have it worse" is never helpful. "It is all in your head" is never helpful. "Just snap out of it" is never helpful. The person's suffering is real, regardless of its objective cause.

Do not wait. If you think someone is in immediate danger, do not wait until "tomorrow and see how they feel." Acute suicidal crises tend to be time-limited — the intense urge to act on suicidal thoughts often peaks and then decreases. But if you wait for it to pass, the person may act during the peak. When in doubt, act.

Prevention: what reduces crisis risk

Treatment. The single most effective way to prevent mental health crises is ongoing treatment for people with known mental health conditions. Medication adherence, regular therapy, and follow-up with a psychiatrist reduce crisis risk dramatically. People who stop their medication when they "feel better" are at significantly higher risk of relapse and crisis.

Social connection. Strong social connections are the strongest protective factor against suicide. Knowing that other people care about you, that you have people to call, that your life matters to someone — this is the most powerful thing against suicidal thinking. If you do not have these connections, building them is one of the most important things you can do for your mental health.

Safety planning. If you have experienced a crisis before (a suicide attempt, a severe depressive episode, a psychotic episode), work with your psychiatrist to create a safety plan — a written plan that identifies your warning signs, coping strategies that work for you, people you can contact, and professional resources you can access. Having this plan in writing makes it significantly easier to use these strategies when you are in crisis.

Limiting access to means. For people with a history of suicide attempts, limiting access to the means they have used before (medications, weapons, etc.) is one of the most effective practical steps. Store medications safely. Remove or secure weapons. The majority of suicide attempts are impulsive — the person does not plan to die days or weeks in advance. They act in a moment of intense distress. If the means are not available in that moment, many people do not go on to act on their impulse later.

This article matters

This article exists because mental health emergencies are terrifying for everyone involved — the person in crisis, the people around them, the clinicians who treat them. Knowing what to do reduces fear and improves outcomes. Sharing this information saves lives.

If you are reading this because you are currently in crisis: please call 999 or 998, or go to the nearest emergency department. You do not need to be "bad enough" to get help. You do not need to have already harmed yourself. If you are worried enough to read this article, that is enough.

If you are reading this because someone you care about is in crisis: stay calm, stay present, and get professional help. You cannot fix this on your own, and you do not need to. Your role is to keep the person safe until professional help arrives. That is a sufficient and important role.

Emergency numbers in the UAE

Police: 999 Ambulance: 998 Police (alternative): 991 Dubai Social Support (WASSIL): 600 590 000

In a mental health emergency where you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or 998. Do not wait. Do not try to handle it alone. Professional help is available.