Since its launch in October 2022, India's national mental health hotline, Tele-MANAS, has received nearly 4.8 million calls, highlighting an acute need for accessible support in this area.
People contact Tele-MANAS with various issues, including academic stress, workplace pressure, anxiety, sleep disorders, and relationship difficulties. These figures demonstrate the necessity of improving access to mental health services, especially against the backdrop of new World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines warning that the global shift from inpatient care to community-level care is still far from complete.
According to the report, 28% of individuals hospitalized in psychiatric hospitals remain there for more than six months, and 16% for over a year. It is also estimated that 47% of mental health spending is directed specifically to psychiatric institutions, although this statistic is based on data from only 49 countries.
The Tele-MANAS system covers all 36 states and union territories through 53 operational cells. Men predominate among users, accounting for 54.18% of total profiles, while women make up 43.78%. The government has also approved a District Mental Health Program in 767 districts and integrated mental health services into over 183 thousand Ayushman Arogya Mandirs centers.