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Mental health help in the municipality: help without waiting for DPS
Draft, translated: translated from the Norwegian original with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is the authoritative one. See the Norwegian original →
You don't always need a referral to DPS to get help. The municipality has its own services, including Rapid Mental Health Help, which is free and often quicker to get.
Norwegian original last checked against official sources: 22 September 2026. Rules and figures change, so always check the official site before you act.
Not all help with mental health requires a referral to DPS. The municipality where you live has its own services, and some of them you can approach yourself, without waiting for anyone else.
Rapid Mental Health Help
Rapid Mental Health Help (Rask psykisk helsehjelp, RPH) is a free municipal service for people over 16 with mild to moderate anxiety, depression, sleep problems or early substance use problems. You need no referral from a doctor, you can contact them yourself.
The service exists in many, but not all, Norwegian municipalities, and usually consists of courses, group offers, guided self-help, or short individual talking therapy. Search for "Rask psykisk helsehjelp" together with the name of your municipality to see if the service exists where you live.
RPH is not intended for serious or complex mental health conditions. If you need more extensive help, see DPS and mental health services for adults.
Mental health and substance use service in the municipality
By law, the municipality is responsible for offering necessary health and care services, which also includes mental health work. Many municipalities have their own mental health service (in some places called the mental health and substance use service) which can, among other things, provide:
- talks and follow-up over time,
- home visits,
- help getting in touch with other services.
The offer varies a lot from municipality to municipality. Contact your municipality, or ask your regular GP, to find out what is available where you live.
Other places to start
- Your regular GP. See Your regular GP: changing doctor and your rights.
- The Healthy Life Centre (Frisklivssentralen), which many municipalities have, can help with lifestyle factors that affect mental health, such as exercise, diet, sleep and coping.
- Out-of-hours clinic: 116 117, if you need help quickly and cannot reach your GP.
Need help right now?
- Life-threatening situation: call 113.
- Mental Helse's helpline: 116 123. Kirkens SOS: 22 40 00 40.
- Experiencing violence in a close relationship: the Violence and Abuse Line, 116 006. See Violence in close relationships.
Tip: If you are unsure whether what you are struggling with is "enough" to reach out about, the answer is almost always yes. Low-threshold services in the municipality are made precisely to be easy to access, not only for the most serious cases.
Sources
- Helsedirektoratet. Rapid Mental Health Help (Norwegian)
- Helsedirektoratet. § 3-2 The municipality's responsibility for health and care services (Norwegian)
Kontaktpunkt24 gives general information, not legal advice. If you need help with your own case, contact a lawyer, a legal aid service, or the relevant authority.
This page is translated from Norwegian with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is always the authoritative one.