Overview

• This year’s theme, “Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies,” urges prioritization of psychological support during crises.
• Tele-MANAS, a 24/7 toll‑free counselling network (14416 or 18008914416) launched in 2022, has handled 26 lakh calls nationwide and provides remote Psychological First Aid using “look, listen, link.”
• PGIMER in Chandigarh serves as one of five regional coordination centres for Tele-MANAS, reporting roughly 2,000 monthly calls locally and 9,000–10,000 in Punjab, with 53 cells nationwide and anonymous caller IDs.
• Clinicians note widespread distress in emergencies and cite data showing about 22% of people exposed to war or conflict develop serious mental conditions, while India’s survey indicates nearly one in seven people needs psychological support.
• Experts call for integrating mental health into disaster response through first-responder training in Psychological First Aid, continuity of psychiatric medications, expansion of tele-mental services, and embedded specialists on disaster teams.