According to official data, the government's national mental health helpline Tele-MANAS has received 3.4 lakh calls since its launch in October last year, with three out of every four callers being between the ages of 18 and 45.
The Union Health Ministry data suggests that 55.8 per cent of the total 3,46,935 calls received were from men, while 44.2 per cent were from women, PTI reports.
The toll-free helpline gets an average of 2,000 calls each day, with the most common reasons for calling being sleep difficulties, sadness, stress-related issues and anxiety, according to official sources.
These sources also say that 74.4 per cent of callers are between the ages of 18 and 45.
Currently, 44 Tele MANAS cells operate in 33 states and union territories, including Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Ladakh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam.
The highest number of calls were handled by the Cell 104 helpline of Chennai's Institute of Mental Health.
The National Tele Mental Health Programme of India anticipates 51 functional Tele MANAS cells serving as a comprehensive, integrated, and inclusive 24x7 mental health facility in each state and union territory in India.
It may be noted that the world celebrates World Mental Health Day tomorrow, October 10, Tuesday.
