distrACT (UK)
When someone is struggling with self-harm or suicidal feelings, distrACT gives them clear, clinically trusted guidance – free, offline, and in their pocket, with no account required.
Available free on the Apple App Store and Google Play. No sign-up required.
The moment that's hardest to reach.
Someone in your community is struggling right now. They're not in your clinic or your office. They're at home, or on a bus, or lying awake at 3am – and they don't know what to do with what they're feeling.
They want to understand what's happening to them. They want to know they're not alone. And they want to know whether what they're feeling is serious enough to ask for help.
Without clear, trusted guidance in that moment, they're left with very few options: turn to unmoderated content online, wait until things get worse – or reach for emergency services when earlier, calmer support would have been more appropriate and more effective.
That's the gap distrACT was built to fill.
You can't be there for everyone, every moment.
You might be a mental health team, a university counselling service, a GP practice, a charity, or a school. You're working with people who self-harm or feel suicidal – and you know how hard it is to be there for them at every moment they need it.
You're also working with limited time, stretched teams, and growing demand. You need something you can put in people's hands with confidence – something that works when you can't be there.
Earlier, clearer support doesn't just help individuals – it eases pressure on already stretched services.
Clear, calm support – whenever and wherever it's needed.
Inside the app, people can:
- Make sense of what they're feeling – with plain-English explanations, not clinical jargon
- Use practical coping strategies straight away – grounding, relaxation, creative tools
- Find trusted support – signposts to services, helplines, and charities
- Know what to do in a crisis – with clear, calm next steps when urgent help is needed
Everything is written to be easy to return to when concentration is low and emotions are high.
distrACT is not a replacement for clinical care. It sits alongside your existing services – reinforcing your messages, reducing confusion, and supporting people between appointments and after crisis contact.
It's free for users and organisations. No contracts, no set-up, no personal data collection.
Built to the standards you'd expect.
distrACT has been independently assessed and meets recognised quality and safety standards, including:
- PIF TICK certified
- ORCHA assessed
- NHS DTAC compliant
- Winner, BMA Patient Information Award
It has been co-created with people with lived experience of self-harm, mental health clinicians, and specialist charities – including Self-Injury Support, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, and Bristol Health Partners.
More than 100,000 people have already downloaded it across the UK and beyond.
- "A safe alternative to put in people's hands."
– Dr Dominique Thompson, Student Mental Health Expert and GP- "A must if you are concerned about self-harm or feeling suicidal and don't know what to do next."
– App user
For more details on how we develop and quality-assure our content, visit our Quality Assurance and Editorial pages – both open in a new tab.
Make it feel local.
If you want to go further, you can localise distrACT for your area or organisation – adding a branded home page and a directory of local services, pathways, and support.
It's a simple, low-cost way to make trusted support feel local, relevant, and connected to what you already offer.
Let's talk.
Want to know more first? Find out how our free apps work and how to localise this app for your organisation – both open in a new tab.
If you'd like to explore how distrACT could support your community, we'd be glad to talk.