Mangalagiri: Mr. Gautam Sawang IPS, DGP and Daaji/Mr. Kamlesh D. Patel launched the Helpline “Voice That Cares” for helping policemen and citizens of Andhra Pradesh cope with personal distress in association with Heartfulness Institute and Ripples of Change Foundation.
Andhra Pradesh Police across the State from every Police Station to Senior Police officers of the Police Head Quarters participated in the program.
As there is a crying need for psychological and mental health support in India. The number of professional psychological counselors and Psychiatrists is less than 15% of the demand.
Covid pandemic has ushered in a new dimension to this need.
Unlike physical health issues, there is a stigma associated with speaking about mental health and reaching out to a psychologist for professional help. This is something that we should overcome as a society.
Youth between the age of 18-30 years, the future of India are most severely impacted by depression and anxiety surely calls for urgent action. If allowed to fester, it creates an imbalance in individuals, communities, and societies.
At the Police Stations, we are seeing an increasing number of cases of domestic violence, alcohol & substance addiction, elders being neglected, and a host of behavioral issues. Clear signs of the struggle and conflict that individuals, families are experiencing find it difficult to cope themselves.
There is a need to bring about a meaningful shift in this scenario. Providing active support for people in personal distress can mitigate the situation. #APPolice runs several helplines and the control room already offers an excellent opportunity to support people in distress along with the new partners.
The DGP on this occasion said Andhra Pradesh Police is looking forward to actively collaborating and associating with ‘Voice that Cares’ Help Line to serve Policemen and the general public who are facing any kind of distress, eventually towards peace and harmony within and in the society.
The DGP appreciated and applauded the initiative of #Heartfulness Institute and Ripples of Change Foundation in launching the Voice that Cares helpline in Telugu, offering services for free of charge as much needed service required by society today in Andhra Pradesh.
The toll-free helpline number is 8448-8448-45 and is open from 9 AM to 9 PM, 7 days a week and the services are available in Telugu, Hindi, English languages.
Our Citizen Reporter
B. Bharath Reddy
