AI tells someone in a mental health crisis in Saudi Arabia to call the National Center for Mental Health Promotion hotline (920033360) expecting round-the-clock availability
ID: mental-health/ncmhp-hotline-limited-hours-not-24-7
Version Compatibility
| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| any | active | — | — | — |
Root Cause
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health confirms the National Center for Mental Health Promotion's psychological-consultation hotline (920033360) operates limited daily hours - 8:00am to 8:00pm, and 1:00pm to 8:00pm on Saturdays - not 24/7. For a crisis outside those hours, the Ministry directs people to hospital Emergency Departments, which run 24 hours, or the Qareeb/Qareboon supervised text-counseling app.
genericWorkarounds
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75% success For an after-hours crisis, go to (or direct the person to) the Emergency Department of any hospital, which the Ministry of Health states runs 24 hours, rather than waiting for the hotline's opening time
MOH's psychiatric-services page lists 'Emergency Departments: Available 24 hours' as one of its listed mental-health service channels, alongside the daytime hotline and Primary Health Centers.
Sources: https://www.moh.gov.sa/en/Ministry/Information-and-services/Pages/psychiatry.aspx
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85% success During hotline hours, call 920033360; the National Center for Mental Health Promotion is a real, government-run body under the Ministry of Health (not an informal or unofficial service), so the number is safe to give out at face value
Sources: https://www.moh.gov.sa/en/Ministry/Information-and-services/Pages/psychiatry.aspx https://saudipedia.com/en/article/567/government-and-politics/centers/national-center-for-mental-health-promotion
Dead Ends
Common approaches that don't work:
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Tell someone to call the National Center for Mental Health Promotion hotline (920033360) at any hour, treating it as a 24/7 crisis line the way a US- or UK-style crisis hotline works
60% fail
The Ministry of Health's own psychiatric-services page states the center 'operates 12 hours a day (from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.), except on Saturdays from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.' A call placed outside that window will not reach a counselor through this line.