Centre has no official data on nomophobia, Rajya Sabha told
In a written reply, the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, informed the Rajya Sabha that a behavioural addiction clinic has been established at AIIMS, New Delhi, to manage various behavioural addictions, including internet and technology addiction.
'The data of patients suffering from nomophobia in the country is not maintained centrally,' said the minister in response to a question from Congress MP Phulo Devi Netam, who asked whether it is a fact that the number of patients suffering from nomophobia is constantly increasing in the country and whether a large number of these patients are young children and youth.
Nomophobia is the fear or anxiety associated with being without one's mobile phone or the ability to use it.
The minister said that to address the burden of mental disorders, the Centre is implementing the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) across the country.
The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP), a component of the NMHP, has been sanctioned for implementation in 767 districts. Support for this is provided to States and Union Territories through the National Health Mission.
Facilities made available under the DMHP at the Community Health Centre (CHC) and Primary Health Centre (PHC) levels include outpatient services, assessment, counselling/psychosocial interventions, continuing care and support for persons with severe mental disorders, medication, outreach services, and ambulance services. In addition to these, there is a provision for 10-bedded in-patient facilities at the district level.
Jadhav also stated that the government is taking steps to strengthen mental healthcare services at the primary healthcare level and has upgraded more than 1.77 lakh Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
Mental health services have been included in the packages of services under Comprehensive Primary Health Care provided at these Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
Under the tertiary care component of the NMHP, 25 Centres of Excellence have been sanctioned to increase the intake of students in postgraduate departments in mental health specialities, as well as to provide tertiary-level treatment facilities.
Furthermore, the government has supported 19 government medical colleges/institutions to strengthen 47 postgraduate departments in mental health specialities.
There are 47 government-run mental hospitals in the country, including three Central Mental Health Institutions: the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru; the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, Assam; and the Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi. Mental health services are also available at all AIIMS institutions.
The minister added that the government launched the National Tele Mental Health Programme on October 10, 2022, to further improve access to quality mental health counselling and care services across the country.
As of July 17, 36 States and Union Territories have established 53 Tele-MANAS Cells and have started providing tele-mental health services.
More than 23.82 lakh calls have been handled on the helpline number.
Additionally, the Tele-MANAS mobile application was launched on World Mental Health Day last year, on October 10. It is a comprehensive mobile platform developed to provide support for mental health issues ranging from overall well-being to mental disorders.
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