70% of overall calls within 12 months, received from men
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The 'BMC-Mpower1on1', which is a free 24x7 helpline, received several calls over the course of the pandemic pertaining to issues like the fear of losing jobs, concerns over academic well-being, anxiety of contracting COVID-19, amid others. The statistics say that a total of 70% of these calls were from men, who were going through professional and personal hardships due to the pandemic.
The reports further noted that 25% of callers were anxious about their jobs, careers, COVID infections and examinations. 10% of the lot, raised complaints of low moods, depression, bouts of sadness and 8% of the distressed folks, expressed relationship-related concerns.
Maximum callers in the 26-40 age group
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The age range of the callers was between 18-85 years but the maximum, 53%, fell in the youth category (26-40 age group). This was followed by the youngsters starting from 18 to 25, who accounted for 28% while those bordering the senior category (above 55 years), made up for 5% of the lot. Hailing from all walks of life, including corporate employees, farmers, teachers and students, plenty of people sought assistance from Mpower's mental health experts.
Though the helpline was launched to cater to the residents of Mumbai, as per reports, there were many calls from Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Lucknow, amongst other places. "Through the helpline, we gave India a 'listening ear', a platform to unleash their bottled-up feelings and ensure that all could get the help they sought. From the findings, we shall resolve towards making mental healthcare more accessible all over India," said Neerja Birla, the Chairperson of Mpower.
-With inputs from IANS
