Published: 12th Oct, 2023
Context:
The national tele mental health programme Tele-MANAS has counselled more than 3,50,000 people till date and over 1,000 calls are being received on this helpline every day.
About Tele-MANAS:
What is Tele-MANAS?
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World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10th every year. The theme for the World Mental Health Day 2023 is 'Mental Health is a Universal Human Right’. |
- Tele-MANAS is India’s round-the-clock mental health helpline.
- Launched in 2022 on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, the programme provides counselling to 2,000 people through its 44 Tele-MANAS cells, he said at the National Mental Health Conclave here organised to mark World Mental Health Day.
- It comprises two tiers:
- Trained counsellors at State Tele-MANAS cells who provide immediate care
- Mental health professionals (psychologists, clinicians, psychiatrists) at District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) who provide specialist care
- NIMHANS, Bengaluru, serves as the nodal centre while the International Institute of Information Technology (IIITB) in Bengaluru is tasked with providing the technical know-how for the helpline.
Need of the initiative
- The helpline was a response to a mental health crisis inflamed by the COVID-19 pandemic: isolation, financial precarity and illness adversely impacted levels of anxiety, depression and substance use disorders
- Estimates show that 70-92% of Indians do not receive medication or treatment for different mental conditions.
Other Government Initiatives:
- National Mental Health Programme (NMHP): Aim to be implemented in 704 districts for which support is provided to States/UTs through the National Health Mission.
- Community Health Centre (CHC) and Primary Health Centre (PHC) levelswere established to address outpatient services, assessment, counselling/ psycho-social interventions, continuing care and support to persons with severe mental disorders, drugs, outreach services, ambulance services etc.
- National Tele Mental Health Programme: In Budget (2022-2023), India's Finance Minister announced the programme to improve access to quality mental health counselling and also care services.
- Mental Healthcare Act, 2017:It aims to provide mental healthcare services for persons with mental illness.
- KIRAN: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched a 24/7 toll-free helpline to provide support to people facing anxiety, stress, depression, suicidal thoughts, and other mental health concerns.
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