Mental health support launched on helpline
In an effort to address the growing mental health crisis, the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has launched a specialised support service through Police Emergency Helpline 15 for individuals facing mental stress, emotional distress and suicidal thoughts.
The initiative, introduced on the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, aims to provide immediate psychological counselling and prevent tragedies through timely intervention.
Citizens experiencing anxiety, depression or feelings of hopelessness can dial 15 and press 7 to connect with trained PSCA officers, who will arrange a conference call with qualified psychologists for instant emotional support.
A PSCA spokesperson said callers' privacy and confidentiality would be strictly maintained to encourage people to seek help without hesitation.
Official data from 2025 highlights the urgency of the initiative.
The helpline received 764 calls after suicide incidents had already taken place, where intervention was too late. However, 2,327 calls were made by individuals contemplating suicide or experiencing severe mental distress.
Through counselling, guidance and prompt police response, PSCA facilitated medical assistance and helped save 2,269 lives, reflecting a 98 per cent success rate.
In a recent post on X, the chief minister stated that around 2,700 people had been rescued from suicide attempts during the year.
Call analysis showed that 56% of callers were male and 44% female.
Domestic disputes, marital conflicts and family issues were identified as the leading triggers, accounting for 48% of cases.
The spokesperson urged the public to use the service if they or their loved ones are struggling emotionally, saying the initiative provides professional psychological guidance and plays a critical role in saving lives. PSCA has also launched awareness campaigns on social media platforms with messages such as "You are not alone" to reach vulnerable individuals.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Clinical Psychologist Fatima Tahir said the fact that mental health issues are being addressed through a 15 helpline shows the importance of treating them just like public safety matters.
"It highlights that mental health should be handled with the same seriousness as other emergency and safety services. This is a short-term system and within that short-term system, within that short-term support, there should be a proper mechanism of follow-ups because you don't know what triggered it and after it triggered, how long."
The first and most important thing in this is confidentiality, because we are still stigmatised here and people feel they cannot talk about these issues. For many, going to a psychologist or psychiatrist is difficult and nowadays even professionals sometimes share case stories on their pages (even if names are changed). In all such scenarios, maintaining confidentiality is extremely important and this can be handled quite well through helplines.
It may trigger again within minutes or within a week. So, listening to it once or listening to it once is not important. It should have proper follow-up mechanism in which referral pathways are made. It is called integrated approach.
The issue of suicide linked to mental health challenges has remained under discussion at senior levels in recent days, as a growing number of cases - many involving students - have come to light.