by Khalid Bashir Gura SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has a huge mental health burden according to mental health experts. The authorities have tried to address and reduce the mental health treatment gap by increasing the number of trained mental health professionals and exploring the potential of teleps.
New Delhi, Oct. 2 (PTI): The government is working on launching a national tele-mental health programme and a toll-free helpline number soon to enable wider access to mental health assistance across the country. The national tele-mental health programme (NTMHP) was first announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2022-23. “The pandemic has accentuated mental health problems in people of all ages. To better the access to quality mental health counselling and care services, a ‘National Tele-Mental Health Programme’ will be launched,” she had said. This will include a network of 23 tele-mental health centres of excellence, with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) being the nodal centre and the International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru (IIITB) providing technological support. As part of the programme, at least one tele-MANAS (Tele-Mental Health Assistance and Nationally Actionable P