Calling for Backup: Crisis Lines & Professional Support

Hey Heroes.

Pinning this where you can always find it. Respawn is a powerful program designed to help you overcome video game addiction once and for all. And for many, the Respawn community and resources will be enough to win that battle.

But let me be very direct: Respawn is a certified mental health provider. For some, compulsive gaming is the result of deep depression and anxiety and, while these resources can still be a vital step on your path to recovery and becoming the most heroic version of yourself, it does not replace the services of a certified mental health professional.

If any of these are true for you, now or any day in the next 90, talk to a doctor or therapist:

Any thought of harming yourself. Any form, any intensity.
You can't manage basic daily functioning (eating, hygiene, getting out of bed) for days at a stretch.
Withdrawal severe enough to frighten you.
The gray doesn't lift. The dip you'll get briefed on fades over weeks. A flatness that was there before gaming, or one that deepens past Week 3 instead of lifting, isn't the dip. That's worth a professional conversation.

None of that is failure. It's the same move as calling backup on a fight you can't solo, and smart players do it early. If you're in immediate danger, call your local emergency number now (911 in the US, 999 in the UK, 000 in Australia, 112 across the EU). Then come back.

Crisis and support lines, free and confidential:

US. SAMHSA, for referrals and support, 24/7: 1-800-662-4357. Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988.
UK & Ireland. Samaritans: 116 123.
Canada. Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988.
Australia. Lifeline: 13 11 14.
Anywhere else. findahelpline.com lists a vetted line for 175+ countries. Find yours and save it the same way.

You don't need a diagnosis to call. You don't need to be sure it's "bad enough." Being unsure is enough. Knowing when to ask for help is just as heroic as facing down the boss solo. Even moreso.

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Calling for Backup: Crisis Lines & Professional Support