TISS Mumbai’s ‘iCall’ helpline data reveals young adults prioritize mental health support for relationship problems over academic stress. Recent findings also show young women prefer text-based counselling for distress. Self-harm has emerged as a key coping mechanism among those seeking help, according to data collected from April 2023 to a recent period.
Gender Differences in Seeking Support
Female callers accounted for only 10% of over 12,000 voice sessions conducted through iCall’s ‘CHAMPS’ service. CHAMPS provides phone-based mental health support for individuals under 25 years old. However, ‘ReYou’, the helpline’s chat-based service, showed an almost equal gender distribution during a similar period, indicating a strong preference for text communication among young women.
| Service Type | Female Callers | Male Callers |
|---|---|---|
| CHAMPS (Voice) | 10% | 90% |
| ReYou (Chat) | 51% | 48% |
About TISS Mumbai’s Mental Health Services
iCall, a project by TISS Mumbai’s School of Human Ecology, has offered multilingual mental health support since 2012. Two programs, CHAMPS and ReYou, target youth and began approximately three years ago. UNICEF supports CHAMPS, while Zoom Cares, Zoom Communications’ philanthropic arm, funds ReYou. Mariwala Health Initiative also provides funding.
Service Growth and Reach
Both services have significantly expanded. CHAMPS received 27,706 genuine calls, with 12,458 from individuals under 25. ReYou facilitated 10,387 chat sessions, averaging 325 per month. Chat volume nearly doubled from 2023 to 2024 and continues to rise by 14% monthly.
Aparna Joshi, Assistant Professor at TISS and iCall Project Director, attributed the growth to increased awareness and growing mental health needs. Joshi noted iCall’s presence on social media and partnerships with Google and Meta for outreach.
Primary Concerns: Emotional Distress and Relationships
CHAMPS counselling is available in five languages: Hindi, English, Bengali, Marathi, and Tamil. Hindi speakers represent 95.31% of callers, hailing from across India and neighboring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. This broad reach reflects success in connecting with individuals in smaller cities.
| CHAMPS Call Concern | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Emotional Distress | 39% |
| Non-Suicidal Self-Injury | 9.79% |
| Relationship Issues | 5.68% |
| Education and Career | 3.05% |
ReYou, an English-only service, handles student suicide prevention. It reported 21.5% crisis-related sessions, with 41% addressing suicide ideation. Among non-crisis sessions, emotional distress accounted for 23%, relationship concerns for 9%, economic concerns for 4%, and academic concerns for 4%.
Self-Harm: A Growing Concern
Joshi highlighted non-suicidal self-injury as a rising concern among young individuals. She explained that self-harm often occurs without suicidal intent, serving as a coping mechanism for managing stress and strong emotions. Joshi emphasized the need to support young people in developing constructive coping strategies.
Societal Roots of Distress
Youth distress is often rooted in societal structural problems, including issues of gender, caste, class, and religion, Joshi stated. Beyond counselling, iCall refers callers to other local resources through its extensive offline network.
Seeking Support
Individuals experiencing distress, suicidal thoughts, or tendencies can contact iCall at 9152987821 . AASRA also offers help and counselling at 9820466726 .