FAIMA helpline reveals alarming mental health crisis among doctors
Nagpur: The 365-day Mental Health Redressal Helpline (MHRH), launched by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), has revealed disturbing accounts by junior as well as senior doctors battling depression and even suicidal thoughts, highlighting the silent struggles within the medical fraternity.
Medical Dialogues reported that to prevent suicide and promote mental well-being among medical professionals, FAIMA launched this dedicated year-round helpline to support doctors, medical students, and healthcare workers facing stress and mental health challenges.
The helpline will be available 20 hours daily, seven days a week, and will be managed by a dedicated team of psychiatrists who will cater to the mental health needs of the medical professionals to ensure that residents receive timely, professional, and confidential support.
Also read- FAIMA launches 365-day mental health support for medical professionals
Through this initiative, FAIMA aims to address the growing mental health challenges faced by resident doctors across the country. The helpline will be available for a whole year from Monday to Sunday in different time slots.
Among those who sought help from MHRH was an MBBS student in Rajasthan suffering from a depressive episode and harbouring suicidal thoughts. He was saved after his roommate reached out to the helpline.
In another case, a young resident doctor from Hyderabad with acute suicidal ideation refused to enter the hospital emergency, prompting FAIMA volunteers to directly alert the local psychiatry faculty.
The helpline is not limited only to junior doctors, but even to seniors, as two senior practitioners in Prayagraj, a physician and a gynaecologist, sought help to resolve personal conflicts that were affecting their professional lives.
As per a TOI media report, the service is reported to have already helped save more than a hundred lives and continues to do so. Through this initiative, FAIMA aims to spread the message that doctors, too, need care and healing, offering them relief from their silent suffering.
"Doctors hesitate in disclosing their stress, problems, or mental state. Many were facing interpersonal issues, some had academic challenges, and some were suicidal as there was no one for them to talk to. The initiative has helped save precious lives, and we can proudly say this is a step towards addressing a neglected crisis. A loss of a doctor is a huge loss for society," said Dr Sajal Bansal, coordinator of the MHRH-FAIMA.
Dr Bansal added, "The network is growing. Thirty more senior psychiatrists have agreed to share their numbers and come on board. This shows how deeply the medical community recognises the crisis."
Unlike government helplines, which many medicos distrust due to fears of privacy breaches, FAIMA's effort assures personal, two-way communication and regular follow-up.
This comes at a time when cases of suicide among doctors and students are rising due to extreme stress from work, long shifts, and academic pressure. Many of them were battling depression because of the challenging nature of the medical profession. Therefore, the initiative launched by the association would greatly benefit and support medical professionals who are struggling with their mental health each day.
A list released by the association includes the mental health experts and their contact numbers who will be available 365 days. The experts come from different regions of India and speak multiple languages, including English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, and Kannada, ensuring accessibility for a wider audience.
