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Mental Health Crisis Calls Now Reach Experts Faster
4 Feb
Summary
- Mental health helpline Tele Manas integrated with Namma 112.
- Calls involving mental distress are routed to trained counselors.
- Psychiatric emergencies can trigger on-ground emergency support.
The Central government's 24x7 mental health helpline, Tele Manas, has been integrated with the city's Namma 112 emergency response system. This significant development allows emergency calls concerning mental health crises to be directly transferred to specialized mental health professionals.
The collaborative initiative, established on Wednesday, involved the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS - Namma 112) and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS). Calls indicating mental health distress received by Namma 112 will now be seamlessly routed in real time to TeleManas counselors.
Conversely, Tele Manas will escalate psychiatric emergencies, such as immediate suicide risks, to Namma 112. This escalation ensures the dispatch of on-ground assistance, including ambulances or police intervention, when necessary.
Officials stated that the primary objective is to expedite and enhance the response to mental health emergencies. This integration aims to minimize delays, prevent the mismanage ment of individuals in distress, and avoid criminalization. The partnership seeks to foster a more compassionate and expert-driven approach to crisis situations by merging emergency response infrastructure with mental health expertise.
