Hyderabad: Financial and relationship problems, as well as students becoming overly stressed about entrance examination preparation, are the most common issues reported to Tele Manas, the state's mental health helpline. Every day, the helpline receives 15-20 calls, including some serious cases.
The Union health ministry launched the Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) programme in 20 states on October 11. The Hyderabad centre is staffed by 25 trained counsellors, psychologists, and psychiatrists who are available for counselling 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Citizens can access the services by dialling 14416, a toll-free number.
According to Tele Manas team members, many callers report high levels of stress, while others report depression. The callers have indicated suicidal tendencies a few times. In such cases, the operators attempt to divert their attention by adding a psychiatrist to a conference call. The operators counsel the callers, and if they believe the case is serious enough to warrant the services of a psychiatrist, the latter is added to a conference call to counsel the patient.
The helpline is currently receiving only 15-20 calls per day because it was only launched a few weeks ago and there hasn't been enough publicity, said a Tele Manas member. The helpline anticipates that the number of callers will increase as more people become aware of it. According to the member, the majority of callers are between the ages of 35 and 50.
