Mann · real help
Real help is closer than you think
Free and low-cost help exists in every state. Here is where to start, who does what, and what the law says you are owed.
Last updated: Reviewed by IndiaDigital editorsSources
Tele-MANAS: free, 24x7, in your language
Call 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 from any phone. Trained counsellors of the Government of India answer day and night, in about 20 languages. If you need more help, they connect you to a psychologist or psychiatrist, and to services in your district.
You can call for yourself or for someone you are worried about. You do not need to give your full name.
Government services near you
- District Mental Health Programme (DMHP): ask at your district hospital for the mental health clinic or "Mann Kaksh". Consultation and many medicines are free or low cost.
- Psychiatry OPD of a government medical college or AIIMS: you can walk in with a registration slip; no referral is needed in most hospitals.
- Ayushman Arogya Mandir (health and wellness centre) and your ASHA or ANM: a first place to talk, and they can guide you to the district clinic.
- Children up to 18 with learning or developmental concerns: the District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram.
Who does what
- Psychiatrist: a medical doctor (MBBS plus MD or DNB in psychiatry). Can diagnose, prescribe medicine and also give therapy.
- Clinical psychologist: trained in assessment and talk therapy, and must be registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI). Does not prescribe medicine.
- Counsellor: training varies a lot. "Counsellor", "therapist" and "life coach" are not protected titles in India, so ask about their qualification and supervision.
How to check a professional is real
- Clinical psychologist: ask for the RCI registration number (CRR number) and check it on the Rehabilitation Council of India website. The registration should be current.
- Psychiatrist: ask for the medical registration number and check it on the National Medical Commission’s Indian Medical Register or your state medical council.
- Be careful of anyone who promises a cure in a few sessions, asks you to stop medicines on your own, or asks for large payments in advance.
Rehabilitation Council of India ↗NMC Indian Medical Register ↗
What it costs
Tele-MANAS is free. Government hospitals and district clinics charge only the registration fee in most places, and many medicines are free under state schemes or cheap at Jan Aushadhi Kendras. Private fees vary a lot by city: ask the fee and the number of sessions before you begin.
Your rights under the Mental Healthcare Act 2017
- Section 18: you have the right to affordable, good-quality mental health care from government services, close to where you live.
- Section 21(4): every insurer must cover treatment of mental illness on the same basis as physical illness. If a claim is refused only because it is for mental illness, complain to the insurer and then to the Insurance Ombudsman.
- Section 21: equal treatment, without discrimination because of gender, religion, caste, class, disability or anything else.
- Section 23: confidentiality. What you share in treatment is private, with narrow exceptions set out in the law.
- Section 25: you can ask for your medical records.
- Section 5: you can write an advance directive about how you want to be treated, and (section 14) name a person you trust to help in decisions.
- Section 115: a person in severe distress who tries to end their life is to be given care and support, not punished.
Mental Healthcare Act 2017 (India Code) ↗Insurance Ombudsman ↗
When to get help now, not later
- Thoughts of not wanting to live, or of harming yourself: call Tele-MANAS 14416 today. If you might act on them, call 112.
- Low mood, worry or poor sleep for two weeks or more, or it is getting in the way of work, studies or family.
- Hearing or seeing things others do not, or a sudden big change in behaviour: see a doctor soon.
Mann is self-help and a guide to real help, not treatment or diagnosis. Everything stays on your phone. All Mann tools
Questions people ask
Is calling Tele-MANAS free?
Yes, 14416 and 1-800-891-4416 are toll-free from any phone, 24 hours a day.
Will my insurance pay for mental health treatment?
Section 21(4) of the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 says insurers must cover mental illness on the same basis as physical illness. Check your policy terms, and complain to the insurer and then the Insurance Ombudsman if a claim is refused only for that reason.
How do I know a psychologist is qualified?
Ask for their RCI registration (CRR) number and check it on the Rehabilitation Council of India website. A psychiatrist should have a medical registration you can check with the National Medical Commission or state medical council.
Sources
Last checked:
- Tele-MANAS, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (14416, 1-800-891-4416)
- Mental Healthcare Act 2017 (India Code), sections 5, 14, 18, 21, 23, 25 and 115
- National Mental Health Programme and District Mental Health Programme, MoHFW
- Rehabilitation Council of India: Central Rehabilitation Register
- WHO: Preventing suicide, a resource for media professionals (2023 update), adopted by the Press Council of India in 2019
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