Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : The 24×7 Toll-Free Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline “KIRAN” (1800-599-0019) was launched by Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment through virtual mode Webcast here on September 7, 2020, to provide relief and support to persons with Mental Illness.
DEPwD, M/o Social Justice & Empowerment, launched it in view of the growing incidence of Mental Illness, particularly in the wake of COVID-19 Pandemic. Gehlot also released the poster, brochure, and resource book on helpline. He also witnessed the live demonstration of helpline. Secretary, DEPwD, Shakuntala D. Gamlin, was present on the occasion.
Thaawarchand Gehlot, in his address on the occasion, said that the Kiran helpline will offer mental health rehabilitation services with the objective of early screening, first-aid, psychological support, distress management, mental well being, promoting positive behaviour, and psychological crisis management etc. It aims at serving people experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, adjustment disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, pandemic induced psychological issues & mental health emergencies, he added.
It will function as a lifeline to provide 1st stage advice, counseling and reference in 13 languages to individuals, families, NGOs, Parent Associations, Professional Associations, Rehabilitation Institutes, Hospitals or anyone in need of support across the country. Gehlot hoped that this helpline will be very useful for family members of persons with mental illness also, according to a PIB release.
This toll free helpline will be operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the Technical Coordination of BSNL. Twentyfive Institutions including 8 National Institutes are involved in this helpline. It is backed by 660 Clinical / Rehabilitation Psychologists and 668 Psychiatrists. The 13 languages covered in the helpline are: Hindi, Assamese, Tamil, Marathi, Odia, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Bengali, Urdu and English.
The objectives of the helpline are Early Screening; First Aid; Psychological support; Distress management; Mental well-being; Preventing deviant behaviors; Psychological crisis management and Referral to mental health experts. The helpline will cater to People in Distress; Pandemic induced psychological issues and Mental Health Emergency.
The helpline is being coordinated by the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD), Chennai, and National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR), Sehore, MP. Professional support for the helpline is being provided by the Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists (IACP), Indian Psychiatrists Association (IPA), and Indian Psychiatric Social Workers Association (IPSWA).
National Institutes (NIs): NIMHR, Sehore; PDU-NIPPD, Delhi; NIEPMD, Chennai; NIUEPID, Secunderabad; NIEPVD, Dehradun; AYJ-NISHD, Mumbai; SV-NIRTAR, Cuttack, and NILD, Kolkata; and Regional Centres (RCs): NIEPID, RC- Noida, NIEPID, RC- Navi Mumbai NIEPID; and RC- Kolkata are involved as Helping Centres in this helpline.
The Composite Regional Centres (CRCs) involved as Helpline Centres are as follow: CRC- Ahmedabad; CRC-Sundernagar; CRC-Guwahati; CRC-Davanagere; CRC-Nellore; CRC-Rajnandgaon; CRC-Srinagar; CRC-Kozhikode; CRC-A&N Islands; CRC-Bhopal; CRC-Tripura; CRC-Nagpur; CRC-Gorakhpur, and CRC-Lucknow.