India’s national mental health helpline, Tele-MANAS, has received nearly 48 lakh calls in four years.
About Tele-MANAS:
Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele MANAS) offers a wide range of mental health services.
It was started by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2022.
Aim: To provide universal access to equitable, affordable, and quality mental health care through a 24x7 tele-mental health service, forming a key digital component of the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP).
This service is available across all Indian States and Union Territories, with assured linkages to ensure seamless care.
Objectives
Expanding Access: Scaling up the reach of mental health services nationwide, ensuring that anyone across India can access support at any time through dedicated 24x7 tele-mental health facilities in every State and Union Territory.
Building a Comprehensive Mental Health Network: Establishing an integrated system that goes beyond counseling by offering medical and psychosocial interventions, video consultations with specialists, e-prescriptions, follow-up care, and connections to in-person services.
Reaching Vulnerable Populations: Prioritizing mental health services for vulnerable and difficult-to-reach groups, ensuring no one is left without essential care.
The service is structured in a two-tier system to optimize care delivery and enhance support.
Tier 1: It comprises state Tele MANAS cells staffed with trained counsellors and mental health specialists. These professionals provide immediate support through: Tele-Counseling and Tele-Consultation.
Tier 2: It comprises specialists from District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) facilities and medical colleges, offering additional resources for physical consultations and audiovisual consultations via e-Sanjeevani.
Tele MANAS launched its mobile app and video consultation services to enhance access to mental health support.
This app serves as a comprehensive platform offering mental health resources, including self-care tips, stress management strategies, and tools to recognize early distress signals.
It is enhanced with Multi-lingual user interface, Chatbot feature (Asmi), Accessibility, Emergency Module.
It will now be available in 10 regional languages, in addition to the English and Hindi languages.
These languages include Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Punjabi.
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