Mumbai: The ‘BMC-Mpower1on1’, a 24X7 helpline, which was launched in April last year, has so far received over 72,000 calls and interestingly 70 per cent of the callers are men pertaining the issue of mental health during COVID-19 pandemic. The other calls are also related to the job security amid the lockdown situation in the country.

The ‘BMC-Mpower1on1’, clocked several phone calls on a number of topics ranging from depression, fear of contracting COVID-19, academics and jobs. This is a free service and you can contact them via their toll-free number 1800 120 820050.

In as big as 70 per cent of the callers were males, breaking the stereotype that men are unable to express themselves as freely as women. Around 25 per cent of the calls were from those witnessing anxiety and stress-related to jobs, careers, getting infected by COVID-19 and exams. Another 10 per cent of the callers complained of depression, sessions of sadness and low moods. Also 8 per cent raised relationship issues with family members or life-partners.

The callers' age stretched between 18-85 years but the maximum, 53 per cent, fell in the youth category: 26-40 age group, followed by the group in 18-25 age who accounted for 28 per cent, while those neighbouring the senior citizens category above 55 years clocked 5 per cent. The callers hailed from all walks of sector including corporate employees, farmers, teachers and students who wanted helped from the helpline from the professional mental health counsellors.

Though it was introduced to solve the problems of people in Maharashtra, there were many who called from Delhi, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Kolkata, besides maximum callers from Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad and Solapur in the state.

Giving a pointer of the COVID-19 outbreak, Mpower's data showed that in the first COVID wave in 2020, the number of callers peaked to 40 per cent during the April-May (2020) and availed the services in three languages: English, Hindi and Marathi.

Mpower Chairperson Neerja Birla stated that mental health has always been a serious concern in the country but it was only during the outbreak last year that the crisis came to the front and people opened up about their struggles.

"Through the helpline, we gave India a 'listening ear', a platform to unleash their bottled-up feelings and ensure that all could get the help they sought. From the findings, we shall resolve towards making mental healthcare more accessible all over India," IANS quoted Birla as saying. The helpline was launched in April 2020 by the BMC and the Maharashtra government and served people amidst the lockdown when most people were ‘locked up’ indoors.

Meanwhile, after a dip for two consecutive days, Mumbai's daily cases jumped by over 1,300, while daily deaths went up by 15. The day before the financial capital of India had witnessed 2,554 cases and 62 deaths.

Less than 30,000 COVID-19 tests had been conducted every day in the last three days, while 35,377 swab samples were tested in one day. Mumbai had reported the highest 11,163 COVID-19 cases in a day on April 4, after which the cases began to decrease.