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World Mental Health Day Puts Access To Care In Crises At The Forefront After UN Sounds Global Alarm

Leaders frame mental health care as life‑saving during conflicts or disasters.

Overview

  • The World Health Organization set the 2025 theme as “Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies,” citing data that about one in five people in conflict or disaster settings experience a mental health condition.
  • The UN Secretary‑General warned of a global mental‑health emergency, urging governments to integrate and fund evidence‑based support in all emergency responses, calling such care life‑saving.
  • Clinicians recommend embedding psychological first aid, telepsychiatry, mobile clinics, and first‑responder training to sustain services when infrastructure is damaged and demand surges.
  • India is scaling remote support through Tele‑MANAS, which has logged roughly 26 lakh counselling calls since its 2022 launch via toll‑free numbers 14416 or 18008914416, with PGIMER reporting steady regional call volumes.
  • Coverage highlights priority needs for women, children, older adults, and people with pre‑existing conditions, and flags research linking earlier smartphone exposure to worsening adolescent mental‑health indicators.