This is guidance, not a diagnosis or treatment, and it doesn't replace a doctor. If you or someone near you isn't safe, go to the nearest emergency room straight away.
In short
If stress or anxiety is affecting your sleep, focus or daily life, you don't have to face it alone. Start at a health centre or with a GP: they will listen and refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist. If someone is in danger right now, go to the emergency room.
What to note before the appointment
Step by step
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Put words to what you feel
At home, before the appointment
Stress can show up as tension, trouble concentrating, poor sleep, irritability, or in the body, such as a racing heart. If anxiety makes daily life hard or feels out of control, it's worth talking to a doctor. Write it all down on a sheet so you don't forget anything.
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Start at a health centre or with a GP
Your local health centre or a GP's practice
On the public route, you start at the health centre or with a GP, who then refers you as needed. Things vary from city to city, so ask the health centre in your city what the next step is.
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Know who can help
After the first appointment
The GP takes stock and points you in the right direction. A psychologist listens and assesses the situation in a professional setting. A psychiatrist is a specialist doctor. Before the appointment, ask the psychologist about their professional title, and ask AMO (Morocco's public health insurance) or your insurer whether sessions are reimbursed.
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If anxiety lasts or grows, go back
To the doctor or professional who saw you
If anxiety is weighing on your life, strong attacks keep coming back, or you feel you can't cope any more, go back to the doctor or professional. Don't try to diagnose yourself from a list of symptoms online.
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The public route
Health centre, then a hospital service if needed
From the health centre or GP, you may be referred to the psychiatry service of the provincial or regional hospital, depending on what is available. Ask your health centre which service patients in your city are referred to.
Don't wait: go to the emergency room if…
- You feel you might harm yourself or someone else
- You have seriously hurt yourself or taken too much medicine
- Someone needs help right now and cannot stay safe
- Strong or new physical symptoms are frightening you, such as chest pain with trouble breathing
Where to start
Health centre or GP
Start at a health centre or with a GP, bring the sheet where you wrote down what you feel, and ask to be referred to the right service in your city.
The people who can help
See them all on Hdaya
Do you work in this field? People in your city read this guide.
Add your profileStress and anxiety: what to ask at the first appointment
You don't need to know exactly what to say. The sheet where you wrote down what you feel is enough to start. You can also ask:
- What is your professional title?
- How does the first session work?
- Are sessions reimbursed by AMO or my insurance?
- If I need help between sessions, what should I do?
Psychologist or coach?
A coach works with you towards a practical goal, not on anxiety that's making life hard. The difference is explained in our guide to personal coaching. And for a few simple ideas on hard days, read staying positive when things are hard.
Take a minute to breathe
If you are somewhere safe and have no worrying symptoms, sit with your back supported and place your feet on the floor. Breathe in gently through your nose, then breathe out slowly through your mouth, without forcing it. You can quietly count from 1 to 5 as you breathe in and from 1 to 5 as you breathe out, for a few minutes. If you feel dizzy, your breathlessness increases or you have chest pain, stop and ask for help. This may help you through the moment; it is not treatment and does not replace a doctor.
If there is immediate danger: call for help
If you or someone near you is not safe, do not stay alone and do not drive yourself to the emergency department. Use the Morocco emergency numbers page to choose the right number. If 141 is active in your area, call it for a medical emergency; otherwise call 15 for Civil Protection, 19 for the police in cities, or 177 for the Royal Gendarmerie outside cities and on roads. These are general emergency numbers, not a national mental-health listening line.
References
Symptoms and warning signs: NHS. Breathing exercise: NHS. Emergency numbers: Moroccan Ministry of Health and Social Protection and ANRT. The first-care route in Morocco: Framework Law 06.22 on the national health system. We did not find a Moroccan national mental-health listening line published by an official source.
Where to start
When you feel ready, browse the psychologists near you on Hdaya, read their profiles at your own pace, and get in touch with the one you feel comfortable with.
Questions people ask
Is stress always an illness?
No. Stress can be a reaction to a hard time in life. But if it's getting in the way of your days or feels hard to control, talk to a doctor.
When should I see someone?
When anxiety affects your sleep or daily life, keeps coming back, or you feel you can't cope with it any more.
Psychologist or psychiatrist: who should I see?
Start with a GP, who will assess things and refer you. Psychologists and psychiatrists have different roles; the choice depends on your situation and the referral.
Is there a national helpline?
We did not find a Moroccan national mental-health listening line published by an official source. If 141 is active in your area, call it for a medical emergency; otherwise use 15 for Civil Protection, or go to the nearest emergency department.
References
- NHS — stress
- NHS — generalised anxiety disorder
- NHS — help for suicidal thoughts
- WHO / Ministry of Health — Morocco mental health system report
- Framework Law 06.22 on the national health system
- Sehati — useful numbers and Allo SAMU
- Ministry of Health — SAMU upgrade pilot, 30 March 2026
Procedures change. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will check it again.