he World Health Organization (WHO) has praised India's Tele Manas initiative, which was launched two years ago to address mental health issues which are on the increase in the country. The Tele Manas facility offers support in 20 languages and is now expanding to include video consultation options, enhancing accessibility and providing more comprehensive care for individuals seeking mental health assistance.

Initially, this facility will be launched in Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, and Tamil Nadu, with plans for a nationwide rollout in the future.

This new feature allows mental health professionals to gather additional information during audio call escalations, enhancing history-taking and providing clearer clarifications for patients facing mental health challenges.

Congratulating the Ministry for two years with the successful implementation of Tele-MANAS, Dr. Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative to India stated that "WHO review of Tele-MANAS has shown a successful model for mental health. It has the potential to work well. The primary healthcare, especially the Ayushmann Arogya Mandirs have proven to be successful in improving mental health and well-being of the people".

The upgraded facility with video option was launched by Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary with the Union Health Ministry and  Managing Director, National Health Mission (NHM) at an event here.

Talking about mental health in the workplace, Dr. Ofrin stated that issues like gender inequity, disrespectful unsupportive colleagues, lack of work-life balance, and job satisfaction lead to mental health challenges for the employees in the workplace. He emphasized the responsibility of employers and managers to create a supportive work environment.

A senior official said that the video option will also allow for brief physical examinations or Mental State Examinations (MSE) to verify findings. "However, it will be mandatory to take the prior consent from the caller before doing video consultations,'' said information provided by the Union Health Ministry.

Tele MANAS app, a comprehensive mobile platform that has been developed for providing support for mental health issues which was also launched on the occasion has a library of information including tips on self-care, recognizing distress signals, managing early signs of stress, anxiety, and emotional struggles.

It facilitates engagement of the user through mind challenges, games and mindfulness practices providing a user-friendly experience.

The Report of Tele MANAS rapid assessment by WHO and a Self Care Module for Employees titled 'Taking charge of your mental health- because it matters" was also released at the event.

Tele MANAS has reached a significant milestone, having handled over 14.5 lakh calls since its launch.