The Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Fitness has launched a new hotline 1456 with the aim to create a dedicated number catering towards mental support for youth.
The hotline can provide individuals as well as families with mental health support, urgent mental health support and health screenings. The ministry has stated that arrangements are being made for sessions providing awareness on mental health as well as ways to help those who require both physical and mental help.
Services are available on Government working days from 8:00 AM to 2:00PM, for free by calling the hotline number 1456.
According to statistics by the relevant authorities, out of the percentage of people who reach out for mental assistance the biggest percentage comes from the youth. In a research done by the World Health Organisation in Maldives in 2022, 1 in 5 people show signs of mental health struggles. This accounts for 20 percent of the population.
With the aim to support the mental wellbeing of the youth and to provide services regarding mental health, the Government launched the hotline 1456 for youth mental health and launched the mental health helpline 1677, a line that services 24-hour mental health services. Along with this mental health services are available in all Government hospitals.
Hospitals and treatment centers stated that most youth receive therapy and treatments for anxiety, depression and mental stress caused by daily struggles that some patients go through. According to previous research done and statistics released by the Ministry of Health, Family and Welfare, 60 percent of those who receive mental health assistance are those between the ages 18-35.
The establishment of a hotline catered to the mental health of the youth is so that they can access mental health services without any problems and to be able to deliver these services without breaching their privacy.