more-in Face masks put on by people in Kozhikode these days stand testimony to the level of fear and anxiety over Nipah outbreak. For the Health Department in the district, dealing with public anxiety is a task as difficult as handling the deadly virus. The Nipah Mental Helpline was set up on May 30 specifically to deal with public anxiety, and it has so far been able to handle the responsibility rather well despite the largely misguided information circulated on social media. The helpline, available through three phone numbers, is a platform headed by experienced psychiatrists from the department of psychiatry, Government Medical College, Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (IMHANS), and the Government Mental Health Centre, Kozhikode. “The fear knew no bounds. We had several frantic calls from people, some of whom were scared as they had been in contact with relatives or friends of a few victims,” said S. Mithun, junior consultant psychiatrist at the Mental Health Centre, who is part of the team. Most calls were easy to handle as the doubts were basic, while 22 of them needed serious psychiatric intervention, he added. “People are generally doubtful about those they were in contact with. Some sported restlessness, while in some cases, they were mentally disturbed,” Dr. Muthun added. The helpline was set up as part of the District Mental Health Programme and is supported by senior psychiatrists like Mohammed Issudheen of Mental Health Centre; Dr. M.T. Harris and Dr. Swathi of Medical College Hospital, and Dr. Ashok Kumar and Dr. Shibu Kumar of IMHANS. Other psychiatrists of the three institutions too pitched in at times. With fear subsiding, the platform will now cater for relatives of victims as they need psychological counselling to attain normalcy. “People in health services are also very stressed. They too need some regular psychological intervention,” Dr. Mithun added. The Nipah Mental Helpline was a novel experience for the team which had dealt with only repercussions of natural disasters. There are plans to develop the platform for disaster readiness of all sorts. An immediate response team will be trained as part of the programme, Dr. Mithun said.

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