Illinois mental health care is administered through the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health, which oversees public behavioral health programs and community mental health services across the state. Crisis support is available 24/7 through 988. NAMI Illinois affiliates and the state's 211 services provide peer support and local navigation.
Illinois administers public mental health services through the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health. The resources below cover state-level crisis lines, the state mental health authority, the NAMI state affiliate, and other Illinois-specific points of contact for anxiety, depression, and related conditions.
Illinois has a wide gap between Chicago, which holds most of the state's academic psychiatry capacity, and downstate regions that rely on community mental health centers and federally qualified health centers. The state has a coordinated 988 implementation and statewide mobile crisis services through Living Room programs in many counties. Cook County's behavioral health system is one of the largest public mental health systems in the country.
Crisis lines
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988 anywhere in the United States, including from Illinois. Free and confidential, 24/7. For chat, visit 988lifeline.org.
- Illinois 211. Dial 211 from anywhere in Illinois for non-emergency help connecting to mental health, substance use, housing, food, and basic-needs referrals.
State mental health authority
- Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health. The SAMHSA-designated state authority for public behavioral health programs, community mental health services, and licensing in Illinois. Phone: 312-793-1326.
NAMI Illinois
- Find a NAMI affiliate in Illinois. NAMI Illinois affiliates run free education programs, support groups, and advocacy. NAMI HelpLine: 800-950-NAMI (6264). Text NAMI to 62640. For crisis, call or text 988.
Treatment locators
- FindSupport.gov / SAMHSA Help Finder. Federal tool for finding health care, support, treatment options, and payment information. 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727).
- FindTreatment.gov. Federal treatment locator searchable by Illinois zip code for mental health and substance-use treatment programs.
University and academic medical centers
The academic medical centers in Illinois operate outpatient psychiatry clinics. Wait times for new patients are often several weeks, and some specialty programs may have longer wait lists.
- Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Department of psychiatry at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine.
- University of Chicago Pritzker Department of Psychiatry. Department of psychiatry at University of Chicago Pritzker.
- Rush University Department of Psychiatry. Department of psychiatry at Rush University.
- University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Psychiatry. Department of psychiatry at University of Illinois at Chicago.