Jr docs launch dedicated help desk on World Mental Health Day

Hyderabad: The Telangana Junior Doctors Association (T-JUDA) has launched ‘ED T-JUDA Connect’, a dedicated mental health helpdesk and peer-support initiative for medical students, residents, and junior doctors across Telangana, coinciding with World Mental Health Day.

As healers, doctors frequently overlook the necessity of self-care while dedicating themselves to caring for others. Extended working hours, intense academic pressure, high social expectations, and profound emotional fatigue have increasingly impacted the mental well-being of the medical community.

Recent figures released by the National Medical Commission (NMC) reveal a stark reality: 119 medical students in India—comprising 64 MBBS students and 55 postgraduate students—have tragically died by suicide over the past five years.

These are not merely statistics but lives and dreams lost, underscoring the critical and urgent need for greater compassion and systemic support within the profession.