Several mental health helplines are available in India and the Centre also recently launched India’s first 24/7 toll-free national mental health helpline, KIRAN, last month.
In a press release, the government said KIRAN will provide first stage advice, counselling and reference to those in need of support across the country. iCall, set up by TISS, also provides professional and free counseling over phone, email or chat while ensuring confidentiality.
In light of World Mental Health Day, HuffPost India has collated a handy list of helplines one can reach in times of distress and even share with your friends or relatives who need help.
— Call 1800-599-0019 to reach KIRAN, a 24/7 national helpline set by the ministry of social justice.
— You can also mail icall@tiss.edu or dial 022-25521111 (Monday-Saturday, 8am to 10pm) to reach iCall, a psychosocial helpline set up by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).
— Mumbai-based Aasra has a free helpline, open 24/7. You can call them at — +91 98204 66726
— You can also call Goa-based Cooj at +91 98225 62522 or email them at coojtrust@yahoo.co.in.
— Samaritans Mumbai is a helpline says it provides emotional support for those who are stressed, distressed, depressed, or suicidal. You can call them at +91 84229 84528 or +91 84229 84529 or +91 84229 84530 or you can write to them at talk2samaritans@gmail.com
— Sneha Foundation, a suicide prevention organisation in Chennai, has a helpline open from 10 am to 4 pm on all days. You can call them at +91 44 2464 0050 or +91 44 2464 0060 or email them at help@snehaindia.org.
— The Bangalore-based Parivarthan Counselling, Training & Research Centre has a counselling helpline that is open from Monday to Friday between 1 pm to 10 pm. You can call them at +917676602602.
— Pune-based Connecting NGO is a non-judgemental listening service and helpline that is open everyday between 12 pm to 8 pm. You can call them at +919922004305 or +919922001122. You can also email them at distressmailsconnecting@gmail.com.
You can find a longer list of helpline numbers here.
Disclaimer: HuffPost India has collated these phone numbers based on publicly available information and does not bear responsibility for the functioning of the helplines run by different organisations.
HuffPost India is publishing a series of stories around mental health in October. You can read our other articles on the topic here.