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.

• Note: 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’.

Impact of TELE MANAS

What is Tele-MANAS?

• 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.