Tele-MANAS cell at IMHANS Srinagar receives over 300 distress calls in 5 months

Srinagar, Dec 4: The Tele-MANAS Chatbot service has received over 300 distress calls from people seeking help for various mental health issues since its launch in July this year.

The majority of these calls were related to relationship problems, drug addiction, anxiety and depression, parental issues, and school-related concerns.

Dr Qazi Haroon, State Program Manager, Mental Health and DNO ,NHM Kashmir Division told Greater Kashmir that the objective of this concept was to reach out to the youth of the UT.

“As the youth of today is more tech savvy/text savvy and prone to chatting, the chatbot was developed so that anyone can consult counsellors and Psychiatrists using this chat bot for any mental health related help. Also, this is the first CHAT BOT in India which is both AI based and has the provision of two-way communication with the experts,” he said.
According to NHM data, Tele-Manas has received a total of 31,033 calls across Jammu and Kashmir since its launch in November last year. User-initiated calls stand at 27,595, with Tele-Manas-initiated calls
numbering 3,438.

Beyond offering counselling and support, the Tele-Manas helpline has played a pivotal role in preventing suicides, with a remarkable 890 suicide attempts averted since its inception.

The Tele-MANAS cell at IMHANS-K Srinagar has witnessed a range of mental health concerns, including Anxiety (2,854 calls), Sadness of mood (2,790 calls), Palpitations (2,428 calls), Reduced interest in
pursuing activities (1,931 calls), Stress-related issues (1,869 calls), Sleep Disturbances (1,601 calls), Relationship/familial conflict (1,206 calls), Fatigue (1,158 calls), Hopelessness/Helplessness/Worthlessness/Guilt (1,120 calls), Aggression/Risk of Harm to others (982 calls), and Suicidal Ideation/Attempt (799 calls).

Highlighting the commitment to reaching rural and hard-to-reach areas, the National Health Mission, under the Tele-MANAS initiative, is set to launch outbound calls.
Babila Rakwal Mission Director NHM J&K said that we are starting outbound calls with the help of 104 helpline that will help the patients in far flung areas.

“Additionally, plans are underway to initiate outbound calls via the 104 call centres, which were previously utilised for reaching out to beneficiaries and ASHAS. This approach aims to extend the reach of Tele-Manas to the remote and far-flung areas of Kashmir, effectively linking the 104 helplines with the Tele-Manas initiative,” she said.

In July this year, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched India's first Tele-MANAS chat-bot in the Union Territory, which will ensure round the clock services of health counsellors, clinical psychologists and consultants