TN Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar tweets Mental Health Helpline details
In the time the onset of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown happened, none envisaged the distance that the virus and the resultant curfew would travel. With the fifth lockdown in place, many of us, health experts including, do not know when the shores would be on sight.
With the juggernaut virus rampant in our nation and state, a slew of problems keep assailing people and contribute to a host of mental health issues. Readers may recall Simplicity published an article yesterday voicing the opinions of psychiatric practitioners here.
In a bid to ameliorate the aspect of psychiatric wellbeing of the denizens of Tamil Nadu, the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, C. Vijaya Baskar has tweeted details of the tollfree number, 104. While the tweet today made the number pandemic-centric, the 24-hour ‘104’ helpline was in fact launched by the state government in December 2013, with clinical psychologists on call to counsel those battling mental ailments.
When a person in distress calls 104, he or she is connected to a certified psychiatric counselor who talks to the caller through his or her crisis and helps him or her understand the symptoms. If the caller shows symptoms of chronic suicidal ideation, he or she is guided to seek medical help and is provided with resources including the location of the nearest hospital or clinic offering mental health services.
“The main challenge is to recognise psychological needs as an emergency that requires professional help, without isolating individuals who seek assistance” says an official with the helpline, on condition of anonymity.
Many are unaware of a statistical point that WHO made half a decade ago. In a special report compiled by the organization in 2015, it has been mentioned that Tamil Nadu’s suicide rate is three times India’s national average. It was also mentioned that most of the persons who kill themselves have mental health disorders. The situation was almost as bleak in 2019 with TN ranking second.
This being the case, the alarming rise of mental health issues in the backdrop COVID-19 and the resultant lockdown is a cause for concern and something that needs to be delved deeply into. Under these testing circumstances, the Mental Health Helpline, 104, could go a long way in helping patients with psychiatric issues.