Emergency and Crisis Services

MCRT Staff in Front of Cars

Mobile Crisis Response Teams

Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT) provide in-person support to people of all ages who are having a mental health, drug, or alcohol-related crisis.  

MCRT is made up of licensed mental health clinicians, case managers, and peer support specialists. They respond to behavioral health crisis calls instead of law enforcement when the call does not involve known threats of violence or medical emergencies.

For more information on the MCRT program and how to access services, visit the MCRT webpage.

Psychiatric Emergency Response Teams

Psychiatric Emergency Response Teams (PERT) provide in-person crisis resolution and proactive outreach to people experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

PERT is different from MCRT as teams include a licensed mental health clinician paired with specially trained law enforcement officers.

Teams are dispatched through 911 calls from the community or other law enforcement agencies in the field. PERT will check the situation, assess the individual's mental health condition, and may:

  • Transport the individual to a hospital or other treatment center, or
  • Refer them to a community-based resource or treatment facility.

Crisis Stabilization Units

Crisis Stabilization Units (CSU) provide immediate mental health support and treatment services in a calming setting to individuals with serious behavioral health needs. Available for short-term stays, generally up to 24 hours, CSUs can help prevent or treat a behavioral health crisis and can assist clients in getting connected to ongoing care.

  • There are currently five CSUs for adults and one for children and adolescents. Visit the County of San Diego CSU webpage for more information.  

San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital

Walk-in emergency mental health services are available for adults and older adults who are experiencing a mental health emergency or crisis at the Emergency Psychiatric Unit located at:

San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital
3853 Rosecrans Street
San Diego, CA 92110
Telephone: 619-692-8200

Additional Resources

For other resources throughout the County, including urgent walk-in clinics, visit the Behavioral Health Clinics page.

Community Toolkit

Expand the library of outreach materials below for community use.

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Not sure where to start?

Call the Access and Crisis Line (ACL) at 1-888-724-7240 to speak to an experienced counselor who can help find the right service for you or someone you care about. The ACL is operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with support available in over 200 languages. Live chat and other resources are available through the ACL website or up2sd.org.

If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911.