Tele-MANAS Helpline and Global Mental Health Findings

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Key takeaways

India's Tele-MANAS helpline recorded nearly 48 lakh calls in four years since its launch on October 10, 2022.
Young adults aged 18 to 45 account for 73.2% of the analyzed callers seeking mental health support.
A WHO report reveals that 81% of countries still rely heavily on psychiatric hospitals rather than community care.
Global data shows that 28% of psychiatric inpatients stay in hospitals for more than six months.

India's Tele-MANAS helpline handled almost 48 lakh calls in four years, showing a big rise in mental health needs across the country.
A new WHO report points out that countries around the world still lack proper community-based mental health services.

Tele-MANAS stands for Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States and is India's free, round-the-clock mental health service.
The government launched this service on October 10, 2022, under the National Tele Mental Health Programme of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Citizens can call the toll-free number 14416 to receive confidential counselling, emotional support, and professional referrals.
The main goal is to make mental healthcare easy to reach and affordable, especially for people living in remote areas.

Data shows that Tele-MANAS received 47.75 lakh calls in four years, proving that mental health support is in high demand.
About 73.2% of callers whose data was studied fall in the 18 to 45 age group, showing young adults face major mental stress.
The WHO report reveals that 81% of countries still rely on traditional psychiatric hospitals instead of local care.
Only 9% of nations have successfully moved their mental health systems to community-based care models.
In the WHO South-East Asia Region, 63% of countries are just starting this transition, and none have finished it.
Worldwide, 28% of patients stay in psychiatric hospitals for more than six months, and 16% stay for over a year.
Roughly 47% of global spending on mental health goes directly to big psychiatric hospitals, leaving little money for local care.

The heavy use of the helpline proves that students and working adults want early counselling and emotional support.
Relying too much on big mental hospitals means patients need local rehabilitation and follow-up support near their homes.
Connecting mental health services with Ayushman Arogya Mandirs can help spot problems early and improve rural treatment.