Mental Health Emergency and Crisis Services at UPMC Western Behavioral Health

A mental health emergency can happen to anyone at any time. You, your child, your teen, or another loved one could have a crisis at home, school, or work. Emergencies happen in the middle of the day or late at night.

A mental health incident is a crisis if you decide it is a crisis. You define what a crisis looks like to you.

You may be dealing with an ongoing mental health diagnosis or substance use disorder. Maybe a series of problems have piled up or your relationships are falling apart. You’re starting to feel panic or despair. You may even have suicidal thoughts.

The common thread of all crises is that they require action right away. Some people in crisis need someone to talk to or a place to stay for a few nights and ongoing counseling. Other people may need to stay in the hospital with the support of a care team. UPMC Western Behavioral Health will connect you to the right resources.

You can access our emergency and crisis services in locations throughout Pennsylvania for an urgent mental health need.

Our Mental Health Emergency and Crisis Services

Western Behavioral Health handles more than 177,000 calls a year. We have:

• 24-hour hotlines.
• Walk-in centers.
• Mobile crisis teams.

We're here to help you manage what feels unmanageable.

Crisis center or emergency department?

If your life is in jeopardy right now, you need emergency care.

Go immediately to UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital Psychiatric Emergency Services or your nearest hospital emergency department if you are:

• Actively suicidal.
• In medical distress.
• In danger of an overdose.
• Having acute psychiatric symptoms.

UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Psychiatric Emergency Services
3811 O’Hara Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-624-1000

Find a UPMC emergency department location near you.

Seek crisis center services if your current issue isn't life-threatening but could get worse without help. If you need someone to talk to and immediate support, crisis services can help.

You can always call 988 for any mental or behavioral health emergency.
988 is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — a suicide and crisis lifeline that anyone in the United States can call and be connected to local crisis support. In Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, that's resolve Crisis Services.  

UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital Emergency Services

If you or your loved one is dealing with an urgent mental health need, call UPMC Western at 412-624-1000 or toll-free at 1-877-624-4100.

Our Psychiatric Emergency Services is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week for people of all ages with an urgent mental health need. A specialty team of doctors, nurses, and clinical staff is on hand for walk-in emergency psychiatric care.

You’ll receive treatment in a safe and secure treatment setting. Children and teens can get help at Western Psychiatric Emergency Services and are treated in a separate pediatric area.

You don't need a referral from a doctor to go to Western. Once you’re here, you’ll get an immediate psychiatric and substance use assessment to help us know how to help you.

Crisis services are provided for:

• Emergency psychiatric treatment.
• Substance abuse treatment.
• Inpatient admission.
• Behavioral health treatment referrals.
• Substance abuse treatment referrals.

resolve Crisis Services for Allegheny County residents

If you or a loved one is dealing with a mental health crisis, behavioral emergency, or thinking about suicide, you can find someone to talk to, someone to come to you, and someplace to go at resolve Crisis Services.

resolve Crisis Services is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It's free to all people who live in Allegheny County. We help both children and adults.

Call the resolve Crisis Services hotline at 1-888-796-8226.

Or go to our walk-in crisis center at:

333 North Braddock Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15208

Allegheny County and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital work together to offer these crisis services.

Mental health crisis services for other counties

UPMC Western Behavioral Health services operate all day, every day and provide services over several counties. Our goal is to help as many people who are in crisis as possible.

• Beaver County crisis services: Get 24/7 support by calling 724-371-8060 or 1-800-400-6180.
• Erie County Safe Harbor of UPMC Western Behavioral Health: Call 814-456-2014 or 1-800-300-9558 for mental health crisis services.
• Blair County mental health crisis services: Call UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital Altoona Crisis Services at 814-889-2141, option 1.

How Can UPMC Mental Health Emergency and Crisis Care Help You?

Our emergency and crisis services are:

• Always here for you. Our 24 hours a day, 7 days a week crisis services help more than 16,000 people each year. We help people across many counties in Pennsylvania. Our psychiatric emergency services at Western assess the mental health of more than 12,000 adults and 1,700 children and adolescents each year.
• Approachable and focused on you. We provide compassionate care focused on each individual — mental health interventions that make sense for you. We'll help you succeed in the least restrictive setting possible. We make no assumptions and offer whatever support you need right now.
• Part of a large health care network.Based in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, Western is our main location, and it is top ranked by U.S. News & World Report. But our emergency and crisis services can connect you to outpatient and inpatient care throughout Pennsylvania. Nine UPMC hospitals provide psychiatric emergency support. This network lets us offer mental health services across Pennsylvania and into neighboring states.

Need Emergency Help for Yourself or Someone You Love? Contact Us

You can call any of these numbers, 24/7, 365 days a year:

• Call 988 for a mental health emergency.
• Call 412-624-1000 or toll-free at 1-877-624-4100 for urgent mental health needs.
• Call resolve Crisis Services at 1-888-796-8226 for counseling or crisis support (Allegheny County residents).