NEW DELHI: Sleep disturbances, feelings of sadness, and stress have emerged as the primary reasons for individuals seeking help on the National Mental Health tele-helpline since its launch in 2022.
Over the past year, the Tele MANAS (Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States) helpline has received a staggering 14.5 lakh calls since its launch last year, which highlights the significant demand for mental health support, said a report released on the occasion of World Mental Health Day on Thursday.
Notably, the majority of these callers were male, said the report, ‘Taking Charge of Our Mental Health,’ by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), which runs the Tele-Manas helpline.
In reviewing the call records on the toll-free helpline number 14416, it was found that 14 per cent of the individuals seeking advice reported experiencing difficulties with sleep, 12 per cent expressed feelings of sadness, 11 per cent mentioned being stressed, and 9 per cent reported anxiety. Less than three per cent of complaints were identified to be suicide-related cases.
The volume of calls varied across the country, with Tamil Nadu seeing a traffic of 58414; Chandigarh received only 320 calls. Apart from Tamil Nadu, a maximum number of calls came from Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
The gender profile showed that 56.15 per cent of the callers were male, and 71 per cent were in the 18-45 age group. More women complained about relationship or family conflicts than men.
Most women sought advice on medical issues, multiple body aches and violence or trauma. Most callers were patients themselves, while 18 per cent were caregivers.
The morning hours between 10 am and 2 pm received the most calls, while most emergency calls were received in the evening or early morning.
The Tele Manas call analysis report included case studies that demonstrated how individuals were assisted.
One of the cases involved a 20-year-old female student from Madhya Pradesh. When she made the call, she was in tears, and there was a long period of silence afterwards.
The dedicated Tele MANAS counsellor's persistent efforts finally led to a breakthrough, revealing the depth of her struggle - a harrowing two-month period filled with debilitating panic attacks, endless nights of insomnia, an engulfing feeling of isolation, and the heavy burden of traumatic childhood memories.
Additionally, she faced challenges in her relationships, struggled to maintain focus, and battled with low self-esteem, further exacerbating her already heavy load.
The helpline psychiatrist carefully assessed the young woman's circumstances and recommended that she have an in-person consultation at a Tier 2 facility in Bhopal.
However, the journey to receiving treatment was fraught with challenges. The stigma surrounding mental health issues made her hesitant to seek the help she needed.
The counsellor and the psychiatrist collaborated to address her concerns, and after approximately 7-8 sessions, treatment commenced. Initially, she would make 8-10 calls per day seeking validation, but over time, her communication decreased to just 1-2 calls per month.
The report was released to celebrate the completion of two years of Tele-Manas services by Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary, of the Union Health Ministry and Managing Director, of the National Health Mission (NHM).
She also launched the Tele MANAS app and Tele MANAS video call facility. The Tele MANAS app is a comprehensive mobile platform that has been developed to provide support for mental health issues.
The app has a library of information including self-care tips, recognizing distress signals, and managing early signs of stress, anxiety, and emotional struggles.
It facilitates the engagement of the user through mind challenges, games, and mindfulness practices providing a user-friendly experience.
The app will help users connect for free and get confidential mental health support through trained mental health professionals across India, 24x7 for immediate counseling.
Video consultations in Tele MANAS are another upgrade to the already existing audio calling facility. This will be undertaken by the mental health professionals who are taking audio call escalations to get further information about the caller as part of history taking and clarification.
This can also enable a brief physical examination or a Mental State Examination (MSE) for the caller to confirm any findings.
This facility will be initially launched in the states of Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, and Tamil Nadu and later scaled up to the whole country.