Saturday Apr 20, 2024
Saturday Apr 20, 2024
Friday, 9 October 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Panel discussion on ‘Mental Health for All, Greater Investment, Greater Access for Everyone, Everywhere’ featuring mental health advocate Shanuki De Alwis (moderator), National Institute of Mental Health Senior Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Pushpa Ranasinghe, Psychologist Nivendra Uduman and Airtel Lanka Head of HR Kanishka Ranaweera
By Safna Malik
Year 2020 hasn’t been good to most of us and with the second wave of COVID-19 people are increasingly liable to get depressed. As a means to help mitigate growing incidents of negative mental
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| Airtel Lanka CEO/MD Ashish Chandra speaks at the launch via Airtel Blue Jeans from India |
health, Airtel Lanka has partnered with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to introduce a text-based helpline, 1926, for people who are mentally distressed.
“With the introduction of the 1926 voice-based hotline in 2018, there has been a gradual increase in the number of people proactively seeking help to cope with anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental health concerns and directing them to the closest help centre,” NIMH Senior Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Pushpa Ranasinghe told the launch held this week.
“Mobile phones and text messaging, in particular, have rapidly become the preferred communication tool among the youth, creating a culture connected to phones. As healthcare professionals, our dependency on technology is now more important than ever before. As a result of its advancements, we can find improved ways of being accessible to those who need help. We are thankful to Airtel for helping us evolve 1926 from a voice to a text-based helpline,” she added.
Airtel Sri Lanka CEO and Managing Director Ashish Chandra speaking via Airtel Blue Jeans (video calling application) said the new service was free for Airtel customers and also accessible for users of other mobile networks.
“In times of need, a user only has to send a simple text message to 1926, and this will be responded to immediately by a mental health specialist from NIMH,” he added.
The chat line will go live on 10 October in commemoration of World Mental Health Day 2020, and will connect users to professional counsellors who are available in English, Sinhala, and Tamil languages.
Chandra also highlighted that through the 1926 chat helpline, Airtel hoped to encourage more young people to reach out to professionals, particularly when they are experiencing times of crisis and may require guidance in mitigating their mental health concerns in a safe and anonymous environment.
“Digital technologies are transforming learning, socialising and communication among youth. Our brand is heavily engaged with young Sri Lankans and we are very much aware that they prefer to use digital platforms to engage and find solutions. At Airtel, we are always looking at ways to create meaningful connections for our customers by blending technology with human needs and this is one such initiative,” he added.
Airtel also held an inspiring panel discussion on addressing mental health for all through greater investments and access. Moderated by mental health advocate Shanuki De Alwis the panel featured Sri Lanka’s NIMH Senior Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Pushpa Ranasinghe, Psychologist Nivendra Uduman and Airtel Lanka Head of HR Kanishka Ranaweera.
Dr. Ranasinghe said: “Every year we lose 3,000 innocent lives to suicide, 80% male and 20% female. Most common reasons for suicide would be domestic violence and relationship issues. In 1995 we topped the list for deaths by suicide; compared to that we are doing so much better and we are now at number 31 on the list. We are trying to bring that number down and create a nation free of depression. Every 40 seconds one person attempts suicide. Through the 1926 platform we can increase their self-esteem by encouraging them and their existence in the society.”
She also explained about other services that are available like NIMH, Sumithrayo and CCC Foundation. However, she said something was lacking in other helpline services as they only counsel people going through depression though 1962 goes beyond that to offer services with a large network of volunteers, doctors and Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPN) who would visit people if they want to talk to someone in person.
Ranweera explaining why Airtel wanted to partner with NIMH to bring out a chat-based helpline said: “Airtel is a company that has a vast customer base throughout the country and we work closely with young people. Concerning our company’s core values it is our duty and responsibility to keep our customers happy. That’s why we decided to initiate 1926 with NIMH.”
He also pointed out that we should shape our youth to be physically and mentally strong to deal with unacceptable circumstances in today’s changing world.
“When it comes to physical health most of us are aware of what we should do and whom we should consult, though when it comes to mental health our generation is not quite comfortable to open up,” he added.
Psychologist Nivendra Uduman also shared his views on 1962: “It’s a ground-breaking history for mental health in Sri Lanka to have a first-ever chat-based helpline. Technology can be a very useful tool to aid mental health and psychosocial problems among the youth and adolescents in Sri Lanka. Even 10-year-old kids have access to mobile phones nowadays and using this technology in a chat-based helpline will make a powerful impact on our younger generation.”
