UP Health Dept To Promote 24×7 Tele Manas Helpline For Mental Health Support, Awareness Drive To Cover Hospitals And Health Centres

The Uttar Pradesh Health Department will expand mental health services to vulnerable groups by promoting the toll-free Tele Manas helpline numbers 14416 and 1800-891-4416. Citizens facing mental health issues can seek confidential advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the service.

The department will publicise the helpline through multiple channels, including information boards in all hospitals, to ensure greater public awareness. Tele Manas (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States) operates in four centres in the state — the Mental Health Institute and Hospital in Agra, Mental Disease Hospital Bareilly, Mental Disease Hospital Varanasi, and the Mental Disease Department at BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur.

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The program, launched under the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), offers assistance in two tiers. In the first, trained counsellors and mental health experts provide immediate support to callers. In the second, specialists from the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) and medical colleges offer audio-visual consultations for personal counselling.

Dr Sunil Kumar Pandey, psychiatrist with the state mental health programme, said information about the Tele Manas facility will be displayed in major hospitals, Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

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He noted that many families face challenges such as depression, anxiety, dementia in the elderly, and exam stress in children, and timely expert advice can significantly reduce mental distress.