Established | 2008 |
---|---|
Founder | Cyrus Vandrevala Priya Hiranandani-Vandrevala |
Type | Non-profit |
Area served | India |
Method | Telephone counseling, WhatsApp |
Website | Official website |
Vandrevala Foundation is an NGO established by Cyrus Vandrevala and Priya Vandrevala in 2008. [1] [2] In 2009, the foundation launched the "Mental Health - India" initiative to raise awareness and provide services for emotionally distressed individuals. [2]
The organization operates several crisis helplines in major cities across India in collaboration with the Emmanuel Hospital Association, St Stephen's Hospital, Delhi, and the Mar Thoma Church. [3] Its efforts have been noted by the media. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Vandrevala Foundation was founded in 2008 by a billionaire couple, Priya Hiranandani-Vandrevala and Cyrus Vandrevala, who hail from Mumbai, India, and are presently based in London, United Kingdom. [2] It launched the 'Mental Health - India' initiative in 2009, with the aim of raising awareness about mental health issues and providing support services for individuals experiencing emotional distress. [2]
In October 2011, the foundation launched a 24-hour psychiatric helpline in Delhi, which was inaugurated by then-Chief Minister Sheila Dixit. [9] On World Suicide Prevention Day in September 2013, the Vandrevala Foundation and the Suraksha Setu Society of the Gujarat Police launched a 24x7 mental health helpline for residents of Gujarat. [10]
In 2014, the foundation submitted a plan to the Government of Maharashtra to improve services in mental health institutions in the state, in response to a published report by the World Health Organization (WHO) which ranked India as having the highest number of suicides in the world. [2] The foundation has entered into an agreement with the Directorate General of Shipping in India to serve as the official mental health helpline for Indian sailors and their families around the globe. [2]
In November 2014, the Vandrevala Foundation was featured on an episode of the Indian talk show Satyamev Jayate, which focused on Nurturing Mental Health and was hosted by Aamir Khan. [11] The foundation's collaboration with Aamir Khan helped to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health illnesses. [12]
One of the objectives of the initiative is to prevent possible attempts of suicide by providing advice and assistance in English, Hindi, and all major Indian regional languages. [2] As of January 2023, the foundation has handled 1.7 million cases. [13]
In May 2021, the Surat City Police, in collaboration with the Vandrevala Foundation and Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU), launched a counseling program for individuals who had been rescued from attempting suicide. The program was aimed at providing psychological aid to those affected. [14] In June 2021, Vadodara City Police partnered with the Vandrevala Foundation and the Psychology Department of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda to launch Vadodara City's first toll-free helpline number called Zindagi Helpline to help people who are experiencing mental distress or suicidal thoughts. [15]
Vandrevala Foundation operates its helpline virtually on a PAN India level, with counselors based in every state and equipped to handle cases in regional languages. [2] The foundation offers counseling services through voice calls and WhatsApp as its mode of communication. [16] [13]
As per the foundation's report in 2014, India had 43 mental health hospitals and all being established before 1947 and many of them are in a state of disrepair and are unsuitable for individuals seeking guidance and treatment for mental illness. [2]
In March 2023, Vandrevala Foundation published the results of a survey that revealed one-third of individuals who contacted their mental health helpline in the past 18 months reported experiencing anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. The conversations touching on these issues increased to nearly 40 percent in the past three months (November 2022 to January 2023). The foundation facilitated over 1.7 million messages and 1,14,396 conversations with 61,258 individuals from August 2021 till January 2023. The data showed that 81 percent of those seeking counseling came from 12 Indian states, with Maharashtra having the highest number (17.3 percent). [17]
The survey found that the preferred mode of communication differed with age and gender. While younger people preferred WhatsApp, telephonic conversations were preferred by those over 35 years of age. The survey also found that WhatsApp has provided a means of communication for a previously untapped demographic that may have refrained from seeking mental health support in person. Almost 53 percent of women preferred to contact the helpline using WhatsApp chat, whereas 42 percent of men preferred to use the chat service. [13]
In October 2021, Cyrus & Priya Vandrevala Foundation received India Today's Healthgiri Award for Best Mental Health Counseling, [18] presented by Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare. [19]
The foundation won the 2022 SABERA Award that acknowledges SDG and ESG aligned initiatives in the field of CSR. The award was granted in recognition of the Foundation's Emergency Mental Health Support initiative, which provides urgent assistance to those in need of mental health services. [20] [21]
Samaritans is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, often through its telephone helpline. Its name derives from the biblical Parable of the Good Samaritan although the organisation itself is not religious.
A crisis hotline is a phone number people can call to get immediate emergency telephone counseling, usually by trained volunteers. The first such service was founded in England in 1951 and such hotlines have existed in most major cities of the English speaking world at least since the mid-1970s. Initially set up to help those contemplating suicide, many have expanded their mandate to deal more generally with emotional crises. Similar hotlines operate to help people in other circumstances, including rape, bullying, self-harm, runaway children, human trafficking, and people who identify as LGBT or intersex. Despite crisis hotlines being common, their effectiveness in reducing suicides is not clear.
Kids Help Phone is a Canadian charitable organization that provides online and telephone counselling and volunteer-led, text-based support in English and French to youth across Canada. Kids Help Phone also provides information on how to access community support services for youth.
Suicide prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide. Suicide is often preventable, and the efforts to prevent it may occur at the individual, relationship, community, and society level. Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have long-lasting effects on individuals, families, and communities. Preventing suicide requires strategies at all levels of society. This includes prevention and protective strategies for individuals, families, and communities. Suicide can be prevented by learning the warning signs, promoting prevention and resilience, and committing to social change.
Telephone counseling refers to any type of psychological service performed over the telephone. Telephone counseling ranges from individual, couple or group psychotherapy with a professional therapist to psychological first aid provided by para-professional counselors. In-person therapists often advise clients to make use of telephone crisis counseling to provide the client with an avenue to obtain support outside of therapy if they cannot be reached in an emergency or at the conclusion of a therapeutic relationship.
Suicide intervention is a direct effort to prevent a person or persons from attempting to take their own life or lives intentionally.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a suicide prevention network of over two hundred crisis centers in the United States that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the telephone number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. The call is routed to the nearest crisis center to receive immediate counseling and local mental health referrals. The Lifeline supports people who call for their own crisis or for someone they care about.
CHILDLINE 1098 is a service of Ministry of Women and Child Development. Childline India Foundation is a non-government organisation (NGO) in India that operates a telephone helpline called Childline, for children in distress. It was India's first 24-hour, toll free, phone outreach service for children. Childline 1098 service is available all over India. It is available in 602+ districts, 144+ railway stations and 11 bus terminals have Child Help Desks.
Suicide is a significant national social issue in the United Kingdom. In 2019 there were 5,691 registered deaths by suicide in England and Wales, equating to an average of 18 suicides per day. Suicide is the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the country.
Breathing Space is a psychological counselling service in Scotland for people feeling depressed, or with other urgent psychological problems. It has a telephone helpline, a web interface, and a British Sign Language webcam interface, all staffed by trained advisers who offer guidance and referral. The service is funded by the Scottish Government Health Directorate and NHS 24, and is operationally managed by NHS 24.
Lifeline Foundation is an NGO based in Kolkata, India. It provides telephone counselling to mentally distressed individuals. It was founded in 1996 and has been noted for its efforts by the international media.
AASRA is a Mumbai-based mental health NGO which is noted for operating a 24-hour Helpline to cater to suicidal and emotionally distressed individuals. The service is an offshoot of Befrienders Worldwide and Samaritans, whose India chapter was established in 1960.
Kaan Pete Roi is an emotional support helpline in Bangladesh.
In 2014, the WHO ranked Nepal as the 7th in the global suicide rate. The estimated annual suicides in Nepal are 6,840 or 24.9 suicides per 100,000 people. Data on suicide in Nepal are primarily based on police reports and therefore rely on mortality statistics. However, the burden of suicide in communities is likely to be higher, particularly among women, migrant workers, and populations affected by disasters.
Mental health in the Republic of Ireland is the subject of state and community sector intervention in Ireland. The Irish state devolves responsibility for mental health to the Department of Health. Community groups and charities also provide support in the prevention and management of mental illness as well as suicide prevention.
In colleges and universities in the United States, suicide is one of the most common causes of death among students. Each year, approximately 24,000 college students attempt suicide while 1,100 students succeed in their attempt, making suicide the second-leading cause of death among U.S. college students. Roughly 12% of college students report the occurrence of suicide ideation during their first four years in college, with 2.6% percent reporting persistent suicide ideation. 65% of college students reported that they knew someone who has either attempted or died by suicide, showing that the majority of students on college campuses are exposed to suicide or suicidal attempts.
Coping planning is an approach to supporting people who are distressed. It is part of a biopsychosocial approach to mental health and well-being that comprises healthy environments, responsive parenting, belonging, healthy activities, coping, psychological resilience and treatment of illness. Coping planning normalises distress as a universal human experience. It draws on a health-focused approach to coping, to improve emotion regulation and decrease the memory of unpleasant emotions. Coping planning interventions are effective when people are supported in the process of forming coping plans.
Mental health in Australia has been through a significant shift in the last 50 years, with 20% of Australians experiencing one or more mental health episodes in their lifetimes. Australia runs on a mixed health care system, with both public and private health care. The public system includes a government run insurance scheme called Medicare, which aids mental health schemes. Each state within Australia has its own management plans for mental health treatment. However, the overarching system and spending remains the same.
Suicide prevention and intervention efforts in India are in the nascent stage. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide in India is a serious public health issue but it can be prevented with timely interventions that are based on evidence. Suicide prevention is also one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG3.4.2) wherein they have asked member countries to work towards reduce global suicide rates by one third by 2030. Notable steps taken by the Government of India include the decriminalization of suicide in the Mental HealthCare Act of 2017 and launching of India's first mental health toll free helpline KIRAN. Many experts have emphasised the urgent need for a national strategy for suicide prevention to be implemented that is multi-sectoral in nature.
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