VIJAYAWADA: Director general of police (DGP) Gautam Sawang on Tuesday launched Voice that Cares, a psycho-social first aid helpline in Telugu offered by the Heartfulness Institute and Ripples of Change Foundation (ROCF).
The DGP appreciated the efforts of the organisers during a virtual meeting with additional DGPs, IGs, DIGs, SPs and station house officers. The free helpline, which is already functional in Hindi and English, now started psychosocial counselling to people in emotional and mental distress in Telugu.
The DGP said that mental and emotional health are key factors of overall wellbeing of society and asserted that State police understand its significance in maintaining law and order. “By collaborating with ‘Voice that Cares’, AP police are actively addressing issues that are increasingly causing discord in people’s lives. By proactively addressing the area of mental and emotional stress, we are hoping to create a positive impact on law and order,” Sawang opined.
Heartfulness Guide Daaji said ‘Voice That Cares (VCT)’ was launched in June 2021 amidst the peak of the COVID pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an environment of prolonged fear and uncertainty resulting in shared trauma and mental health issues across communities. He stressed the urgent need to address mental health issues of people.
Meditation promotes inner strength and emotional resilience and helps one establish a state of balance, but someone who is already traumatised or in distress needs counselling support, Daaji stated, adding that VCT has given 1,700 hours of counselling support to help 6,500 callers from 23 states.
He expressed concern that three out of five callers were youth aged between 18 and 30, with depression (23 per cent) and anxiety (17 percent) being the chief complaints. “This service is now being offered in Telugu and rolled out across AP, since 19 per cent of the calls received were from the state,” he said.