Tele-MANAS receives over 65k calls in three years
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It is a known fact that in recent years, people of all ages, from young children to the elderly, have been grappling with increasing levels of mental stress. Some, unable to cope, have even taken the extreme step of committing suicide.
Tele-MANAS has proven that with early intervention through empathetic counselling, reassurance, and guidance, mental health challenges can be effectively addressed.
In the last three years, over 65,000 people have called Tele MANAS and got their mental agonies dissolved through counselling.
A student who had failed in PUC exam had gone to railway station to commit suicide and as he was about to enter the tracks, he saw a board that said "Need help dealing with exam pressure?". He made a free call to Tele-MANAS, spoke with a counsellor, felt relieved, abandoned his suicide attempt, reappeared for the exams, and is now employed in a bank.
What is Tele-MANAS?
Post-Covid, a significant number of people in the country started experiencing mental health issues.
In response, the union govt launched Tele-MANAS in 2022. Each state has a Tele-MANAS centre, with the ones in Karnataka operating from NIMHANS (Bengaluru) and DIMHANS (Dharwad). Despite limited public awareness, both centres have collectively received over one lakh calls in just three years.
According to National Nodal Officer Ranganath Kulkarni, the free Tele-MANAS helpline is available 24x7 at 14416 or 1800-891-4416
At the Dharwad centre, a team of 20 trained counsellors work in shifts to attend to calls.
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If a call is missed due to high traffic, a new waiting system ensures that the caller is reconnected soon after.
Anyone having mental stress due to various reasons can contact this helpline and receive help.
15% of cases severe
Analysis of past calls shows that most calls come during night hours. About 85% of callers seek help for issues like mental health, education, personal life (in-law disputes, hatred etc), and sexual problems.
Around 15% of the cases are severe, including addiction or suicidal tendencies. In such serious cases, calls are referred to psychiatrists, who may conduct video consultations or call the person to DIMHANS for in-person care.
All caller information is kept strictly confidential.
DIMHANS director Arun Kumar said that with over 60,000 calls handled in the past three years, the Tele-MANAS initiative has proven highly successful in helping people manage stress. Students, in particular, are encouraged to make use of this service to shape their academic futures. The core message of the programme-"There is a solution to every problem. No one needs to choose suicide or any extreme measure—live a better, stress-free life".
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