Govt launches free mental rehabilitation helpline

‘The helpline is in response to the rising mental health problems in a pandemic’.

New Delhi: Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot launched on 7 September the helpline “KIRAN” in collaboration with state-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The toll-free number (1800-599-0019) was set up to enable people to reach out for psychological support. The helpline provides 13 language options: Hindi, Assamese, Tamil, Marathi, Odia, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Bengali, Urdu and English.

Probodh Seth, joint secretary at DEPwD, said that it is in response to the rising mental health problems in a pandemic. A study conducted in June in Italy titled “Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on patients with OCD: Effects of contamination symptoms and remission state before the quarantine in a preliminary naturalistic study” was the first work which assessed worsening symptoms in OCD patients during the quarantine. The report read, “Overall, an increase in obsession and compulsion severity after the beginning of the pandemic emerged. Contamination symptoms were associated with a more elevated worsening. Perhaps, the continuous catastrophic news on TV, radio and social media combined with hygiene tips could have been a stressful situation for this vulnerable group, particularly for those with pre-existing contamination symptoms.”

A paper published by the Indian Council of Medical Research last year in Lancet Psychiatry, “The burden of mental disorders across the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2017”, showed one in seven Indians is affected by a mental disorder. It showed that the highest disease burden in India was caused by depressive and anxiety disorders, followed by schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, among the mental disorders that manifest primarily during adulthood.

As many as 75 mental health practitioners from 25 helpline centres will operate this helpline, which will serve as the first line of support. Eight of these are national institutes, 14 are composite regional mental health centres and three are regional centres.

Also, the DEPwD has tied up with 660 clinical psychologists and 668 psychiatrists who will serve as the second level of support for patients who are chronically ill or need prescriptions for medications. The department has also promised a third level of support where patients with serious mental illnesses will receive regular follow-up calls.

In a web-based survey conducted by the Department of Community Medicine, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital via the Google form during the last week of April 2020, it was found that 28.2% of the population (participating in the survey) suffered from PTSD and 55.6% had sleeping problems during the lockdown in India.

The extended lockdown in different states has also pushed to amplify the uncertainty of people as to when they will be getting back to a normal life.