Citing the prevalence of mental health issues and the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 crisis, the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has said it will launch a toll-free helpline to enable access to mental health resources. The Kiran mental health rehabilitation helpline number, 1800-599-0019, will provide callers support for early screening, first-aid, psychological support, distress management, mental well-being, preventing deviant behaviours and psychological crisis management.
Mental Health Helpline
The helpline will offer services in 13 languages and it targets to resolve issues of people across the country experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, panic attack, adjustment disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, pandemic-induced psychological issues and mental health emergencies. With 660 volunteer clinical/ rehabilitation psychologists and 668 volunteer psychiatrists, the helpline will be run from 25 centres by 75 experts who can handle 300 callers per hour.
There is a three-level mechanism of support — the caller will first be connected to the location-based helpline centre, and then as per need referred to rehabilitation/ clinical psychologists/ psychiatrists. Follow-up and support will be extended at the third level.
Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect the mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. Many people have mental health concerns from time to time. But a mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect the ability to function. A mental illness can make one miserable and can cause problems in daily life, such as at school or work or in relationships. In most cases, symptoms can be managed with a combination of medications and talk therapy (psychotherapy).
