The steady trend highlights gendered differences in seeking mental health support—women are more open to asking for help, while men, shaped by social norms around masculinity, often remain silent
Published Jul 31, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 31, 2025 | 12:10 PM
Mental Health. Representative Image. (iStock)
Synopsis: Since the launch of TELE-MANAS in October 2022, data from Telangana reveals a consistent trend: women are twice as likely as men to seek mental health support via phone. From mothers to students to professionals, women across districts have shown a greater willingness to talk about emotional distress—highlighting a significant gender gap in how psychological issues are acknowledged and addressed
While men often deal with psychological problems in isolation, women consistently demonstrate greater willingness to acknowledge they need support and actually reach out for it.
Whether it’s a mother in Kamareddy dealing with family stress, a college student in Hyderabad facing academic pressure, or a working woman in Karimnagar struggling with relationship issues, women choose to call rather than suffer alone.
When TELE-MANAS launched in October 2022 in Telangana, a clear pattern emerged from the very first month: women were twice as likely to pick up the phone and ask for mental health help. Of the 654 initial calls, women dominated the lines. This 2:1 ratio would hold steady across every single month for the next three years, revealing something fundamental about how men and women handle psychological distress.
The numbers tell a stark story. Out of 1,38,023 total calls to Telangana’s mental health helpline, women made 92,013 calls while men made just 45,911. Even during the service’s busiest month – August 2023, when nearly 9,500 people called – women still comprised 6,288 of those voices compared to 3,129 men.
Even the 117 calls from people identifying as “Others” who identified themselves as third gender- though small in number – represent individuals willing to seek support despite facing additional social barriers around gender identity.
The consistency of this pattern across all months suggests fundamental differences in how genders approach mental health support. Women appear more comfortable acknowledging they need help and actually picking up the phone to get it. Men, possibly due to social expectations about showing strength, are less likely to reach out.
The story behind these numbers begins in October 2022 at Erragadda’s Institute of Mental Health in Hyderabad. That first month, 654 people dialed the newly launched TELE-MANAS helpline. Nobody expected what would happen next over the following three years.
By August 2023, nearly 9,500 people called in a single month – fourteen times more than the launch month. This surge revealed the scope of Telangana’s mental health needs once people knew help was available through the toll-free number 14416.
The service’s growth happened in distinct phases. From October 2022 to March 2023, call volumes stayed relatively low, ranging from 217 to 1,273 monthly calls as the community slowly learned about the service.
Then from April to August 2023, usage exploded as awareness spread through villages and cities. After late 2023, the service stabilized at 3,000 to 6,000 calls monthly, suggesting it had reached its natural demand level.
“TELEManas services are easily accessible—accessible from home or nearby place with no need to visit medical center or hospital, affordable–free consultation, no travel cost, and no loss of daily wages, convenient—24 × 7 availability, confidential —reduce stigma attached to mental health treatment-seeking behavior.,” said Telangana Health Department.
The age-wise distribution of calls reveals distinct patterns in mental health service utilisation across different life stages. The 18-45 age group emerges as the dominant user category, accounting for 73,163 calls or 53 percent of total volume. This working-age population’s high usage likely reflects the stress associated with career pressures, relationship challenges, and life transitions typical of this demographic.
The 46-64 age group represents the second-largest user category with 42,641 calls (31 percent of total), indicating significant mental health needs among middle-aged adults dealing with career peaks, family responsibilities, and early health concerns. The 65+ age group contributed 13,620 calls (10 percent ), while teenagers aged 13-17 accounted for 8,217 calls (6 percent ).
Notably, the 0-12 age group recorded only 488 calls (0.4 percent ) across the entire period, suggesting that mental health concerns in very young children are either addressed through different channels or remain underreported. The concentration of usage in the 18-64 age range (84 percent combined) indicates that TELE-MANAS primarily serves adults dealing with life stressors rather than pediatric mental health issues.
The complaint-wise analysis reveals the comprehensive nature of mental health issues addressed by TELE-MANAS. The “Other” category dominates with 44,255 calls (32.1 percent ), suggesting either diverse mental health concerns not fitting standard classifications or the need for more granular categorization systems.
Psychological Issues emerge as the second-largest category with 23,022 calls (16.7 percent ), followed closely by Stress-Related issues at 21,592 calls (15.6 percent ). This near-equal distribution between general psychological concerns and stress-specific issues indicates that both clinical mental health conditions and situational stressors drive service utilization.
Sleep Disturbances account for 19,232 calls (13.9 percent ), highlighting a significant public health concern that often intersects with mental health. The prominence of sleep-related calls suggests either widespread sleep disorders or recognition of sleep’s crucial role in mental wellbeing.
Sadness and Mood-related issues contributed 12,287 calls (8.9 percent ), while Relationship/Familial Conflicts accounted for 4,528 calls (3.3 percent ). Medical Issues generated 7,788 calls (5.6 percent ), indicating the interconnection between physical and mental health concerns.
Suicidal Ideation and Attempt calls, while representing only 1.2 percent of total calls (1,711 calls), constitute the most critical category requiring immediate intervention. The monthly distribution shows concerning peaks, particularly in August 2023 with 312 such calls, coinciding with the overall peak usage month.
The temporal pattern of suicidal ideation calls shows fluctuations that don’t always correlate with overall call volumes. For instance, while August 2024 had fewer total calls compared to peak months, it still recorded 114 suicidal ideation calls, suggesting that crisis situations occur independently of general service demand.
The consistent presence of suicidal ideation calls across all months, ranging from a low of 3 calls in November 2022 to the peak of 312 in August 2023, indicates ongoing community mental health crises requiring continuous crisis intervention capabilities.
The categorisation of reasons for suicidal thoughts provides insight into the diverse triggers driving individuals to crisis points. Six primary categories emerge: Health-related issues including accidents, disorders, and chronic diseases; Marital conflicts including breakups, divorce, and extramarital relationships; Financial problems including loans and losses; Student-related issues including fear of academic failure and homesickness; Employment issues including job loss and transfers; and Death of loved ones along with age-related concerns.
The district-wise analysis reveals significant regional variations in service utilisation. Kamareddy district leads with 19,366 calls (14 percent of total), followed by Hyderabad with 9,904 calls (7.2 percent ) and Hanumakonda with 8,086 calls (5.9 percent ). This distribution is particularly noteworthy as it shows rural districts like Kamareddy demonstrating higher absolute usage than the state capital.
The temporal evolution across districts shows varying growth patterns. Kamareddy maintained consistent high usage across all periods (6,759 in Oct’22-Nov’23, 8,107 in Dec’23-Dec’24, and 4,500 in Jan’25-Jul’25), while Hyderabad showed declining trends (4,574 to 3,072 to 2,258). Some districts like Hanumakonda and Vikarabad experienced significant growth in the middle period before stabilizing.
The geographic spread encompasses all 33 districts, indicating statewide reach, though usage intensity varies considerably. Rural districts showing high usage suggests either effective service penetration in rural areas or potentially higher mental health needs in these regions.
The geographic analysis of suicidal ideation calls reveals concerning concentration patterns. Hyderabad accounts for 386 suicidal calls (22.6 percent of total suicidal calls), representing a disproportionately high rate of 3.9 percent compared to the overall state average of 1.2 percent . This indicates that urban stressors in the capital city create heightened mental health crisis conditions.
Medchal Malkajgiri recorded 84 suicidal calls, Karimnagar 72 calls, and Mancherial 61 calls, forming the top high-risk districts. The concentration of suicidal calls in urban and peri-urban areas suggests that rapid urbanization, employment pressures, and social isolation in cities contribute to higher crisis rates.
Rural districts show varied patterns, with some like Suryapet (62 calls) and Warangal (62 calls) also recording concerning numbers. The distribution across all districts indicates that suicidal ideation is a statewide concern, though urban areas require enhanced crisis intervention resources given their disproportionate representation in critical cases.
The evolution of complaint categories over time reveals changing patterns in mental health service utilization. Early months showed dominance of psychological issues and stress-related calls, but the dramatic expansion in mid-2023 brought proportional increases across all categories, particularly in sleep disturbances and the “Other” category.
Seasonal patterns emerge in certain categories. Sleep disturbances showed notable peaks during summer months, with July 2023 recording 1,120 such calls. Stress-related calls demonstrated consistency across seasons but with notable spikes during high-volume months, suggesting correlation with overall community stress levels.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
