In Arkansas, the public mental health system is funded and overseen by the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (OSAMH) within the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Calls to 988 from Arkansas can be answered at the Arkansas Lifeline Call Center, run by the Arkansas Department of Health, and DHS also runs a weekday line at 1-844-763-0198 to help you find a mental health or addiction provider near you. NAMI Arkansas, based in Little Rock, runs a helpline at (800) 844-0381 and coordinates support groups around the state.
If you don't have insurance and need help in a mental health crisis, DHS says it serves uninsured adults in crisis through the state's network of community mental health centers.
The UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute, home of the UAMS Department of Psychiatry, is in Little Rock, and UAMS also runs a psychiatry clinic in Fayetteville for adults in Northwest Arkansas. Wherever you live in the state, AR ConnectNow offers care by phone and video, and its call center answers 24 hours a day. The state's two Crisis Stabilization Units, in Fort Smith and Jonesboro, are open around the clock and take referrals from any county in Arkansas. Farm families can ask their county extension agent about the Managing Farm Stress and Pursuing Wellness training, which the Arkansas Department of Agriculture funds.
Crisis lines
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988 anywhere in the United States, including from Arkansas. Free and confidential, 24 hours a day. For chat, visit 988lifeline.org.
- Arkansas Lifeline Call Center (Arkansas Department of Health). The Arkansas Department of Health runs this 988 call center so callers can reach a trained fellow Arkansan. The same page lists free suicide prevention trainings for the public; call 501-537-6745 to ask about them.
- Mental Health and Addiction Support Line (Arkansas DHS). Call 1-844-763-0198, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to find a mental health or addiction provider in your area. This isn't a crisis line; for a medical emergency, call 911.
- Arkansas 211. A free, confidential referral line for local resources such as food, shelter and rent help. Call 211 or 866-489-6983, or text your zip code to 898211; its site says it's currently only able to serve Benton, Madison and Washington counties.
Crisis care and mobile crisis
- Arkansas Crisis Stabilization Units. Two 16 bed units, open 24/7, for short term stabilization related to mental health or substance use, and each accepts referrals from any county. Sebastian County unit in Fort Smith: 479-785-9480. Craighead County unit in Jonesboro: 870-393-5335.
State mental health authority
- Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (OSAMH). The DHS office that funds and oversees Arkansas's public mental health system, along with substance use treatment and prevention, forensic services and the Arkansas State Hospital.
- Arkansas State Hospital. The only state operated acute psychiatric inpatient hospital in Arkansas, serving adult forensic and adolescent patients. For questions about patient care, call 501-686-9000.
NAMI Arkansas
- NAMI Arkansas and its helpline. The statewide NAMI organization, offering support, education and advocacy. Its helpline is (800) 844-0381 or (501) 661-1548, and the site says assistance is available 24/7; in a crisis, call 988.
- NAMI Arkansas support groups. Free NAMI Connection groups for people living with a mental health condition and NAMI Family Support Groups for loved ones, with meetings listed in Little Rock, Hot Springs and Springdale. Call (501) 661-1548 for current times.
Community mental health centers
- Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) directory. DHS serves uninsured adults in a mental health crisis, adults with serious mental illness and the forensic population through community mental health centers. The page links to the current CMHC list so you can find the center that covers your county.
Treatment locators
- FindTreatment.gov. The federal locator for mental health and substance use treatment. Search by Arkansas zip code and filter by payment type.
- DHS Find Substance Abuse or Mental Health Treatment. The state's own list of directories, including community mental health centers, state funded substance use treatment, opioid treatment providers and programs for pregnant women and mothers with children.
University and academic medical centers
- UAMS Department of Psychiatry. The psychiatry department at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, with a psychiatry residency and fellowships in addiction, child and adolescent, forensic and geriatric psychiatry.
- UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute outpatient care. Outpatient clinics in Little Rock, including the Walker Family Clinic, the Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center and the Women's Mental Health Program. Call (501) 526-8100.
- UAMS Health Psychiatry Clinic in Fayetteville. A branch of the Psychiatric Research Institute serving adults 18 and up in Northwest Arkansas, with phone and video visits available. No referral is needed from UAMS; call 479-713-8350.
- AR ConnectNow (UAMS Health). A UAMS virtual clinic that treats Arkansans by phone and video, and insurance isn't required to get started. The call center at 501-526-3563 or 800-482-9921 is open 24 hours a day to schedule; clinic visits run weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Other state programs
- Farm Stress and Mental Health (Arkansas Department of Agriculture). Resources for farmers, ranchers and their families, including the Managing Farm Stress and Pursuing Wellness training taught by county extension agents and the Agri-Health Network.