In plain words
The PSI HelpLine is a free support line run by Postpartum Support International. Trained volunteers answer calls and messages about emotional health in pregnancy and after birth. They are not a crisis line. Their role is to listen, give information, and help you find local care, groups, and resources. Callers often ask about anxiety, depression, sleep, relationships, and where to start. If you are in immediate danger or thinking about harming yourself or your baby, call 911 or instead. The HelpLine is one of three US resources people often hear about, along with the crisis line 988 and the . Each one does a different job, and the right first call depends on what you need.
The deeper version
The PSI HelpLine is a non-crisis information and referral service staffed by trained volunteers, offering navigation to perinatal mental health providers, , and community resources. It is distinct from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and the HRSA-funded National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, which launched in 2022 and provides perinatal-specific counseling and referral. The HelpLine does not provide clinical diagnosis or crisis intervention. Its value is in navigation, especially for families who do not know where to begin, and evaluation has focused on caller satisfaction and referral uptake. The main open question is how to route callers in acute distress to crisis services without delay.
Where it comes up
- When to get help, and who to call tonightPostpartum: Mind
- Support groups and peer supportPostpartum: Mind
- Postpartum depressionPostpartum: Mind
- Therapy and medication after birth: what the options arePostpartum: Mind
What mothers here say about PSI HelpLine
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Postpartum Support International — HelpLine: non-crisis perinatal mental health information and referral
- Health Resources and Services Administration — National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, launched 2022