Srinagar, June 17:  Minister of State for Home, Nasir Sogami on Friday inaugurated the Stress Management Helpline at the Police Control Room Srinagar.
 Talking to media persons, Sogami said the government was mulling to establish Stress Management Helplines in other districts of the Valley as well.
  “Stress levels have increased across the world. There is a stress among people due to unemployment and human relationships,” he said.
 Talking on the sidelines on the event, Sogami said the government would “introduce the police legislation in the coming assembly session.”
 “Before that we would put the document on our website. We would seek suggestions from people and debate over it,” the minister said. “Only then we will replace the existing act with the new one”.  
 The minister who was accompanied by state’s Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda and other senior police officers visited the police drug de-addiction centre. The doctors there informed that so far 5000 cases of drug abuse have visited the hospital and were subsequently treated.
 The officials claimed that it was the first time that a stress management helpline has been opened in Kashmir. They said the helpline will remain functional for 24 hours and people can call on phone numbers 2450451 and 100.
 The helpline is maintained by a team of doctors and councillors who would provide counselling on phone. There is also a facility provided to admit patients and ambulance has been kept to ferry the patients. 
  “The majority of the people had relationship problem, some had stress due to economic loss and exams were also one of the factors,” said Dr Muhammad Muzaffar Khan, Consultant Clinical Psychlogist and in-charge of the de addiction centre.
 Before being officially opened for public, Stress Management Helpline was made operational on experimental basis for two months, he added.
 The police said there findings were based on the samples taken from the patients who took help from them to overcome their stress related problems.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:00:00 IST