{
  "id": "mental-health/1192-substance-abuse-only",
  "signature": "AI recommends Kenya's NACADA 1192 helpline as a general mental-health or suicide-crisis line",
  "signature_zh": "",
  "regex": "(kenya.{0,20}(suicide|mental health).{0,20}(hotline|helpline|line)|1192.{0,20}kenya|kenya.{0,20}1192|nacada.{0,20}mental health)",
  "domain": "mental-health",
  "category": "operational_limitation",
  "subcategory": null,
  "root_cause": "NACADA (National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse), a Kenyan government agency, runs the toll-free 1192 helpline 24/7, but its own FAQ describes it as scoped to counselling, referrals, and incident reporting for alcohol and drug abuse - not general mental health or suicide crisis support. Someone in a psychological crisis unrelated to substance use is better directed to Kenya Red Cross's 1199 line (also reachable via USSD *789*1199# for users without internet access), which offers free tele-counselling and psychosocial support alongside its ambulance-dispatch role.",
  "root_cause_type": "generic",
  "root_cause_zh": "",
  "versions": [
    {
      "version": "any",
      "introduced": null,
      "deprecated": null,
      "removed": null,
      "behavior_change": null,
      "status": "active"
    }
  ],
  "os_specific": {},
  "dead_ends": [
    {
      "action": "Give someone in Kenya experiencing a general mental-health crisis or suicidal ideation the NACADA 1192 number as if it were a catch-all national crisis line",
      "why_fails": "NACADA's own FAQ page describes the 1192 helpline's services as 'Counseling and Referrals' and 'Incident Reporting' within its mandate as the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse - the service is scoped to substance-abuse matters, not general mental health or suicide crisis support, even though it is free, government-run, and available 24 hours a day.",
      "fail_rate": 0.5,
      "condition": "Crisis unrelated to alcohol or drug use",
      "sources": [
        "https://nacada.go.ke/faqs-frequently-asked-questions"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "Assume Kenya has no toll-free number for general psychosocial support and default to recommending only in-person hospital psychiatric services",
      "why_fails": "Kenya Red Cross operates a free tele-counselling service on its 1199 line - the same number used for ambulance dispatch - and since 2020 has also offered it via USSD code *789*1199# for people without internet access, specifically to widen access to mental health support beyond phone-based counselling.",
      "fail_rate": 0.4,
      "condition": "General public seeking free phone-based mental health support",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.kbc.co.ke/kenya-red-cross-launches-transformative-initiatives-to-tackle-mental-health/"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds": [
    {
      "action": "For alcohol- or drug-related counselling, incident reporting, or referral, use NACADA's 1192 (free, 24/7, Safaricom/Telkom). For general psychosocial support or a crisis unrelated to substance use, use Kenya Red Cross's 1199 line, or the USSD code *789*1199# if the caller lacks internet access.",
      "success_rate": 0.8,
      "how": "",
      "condition": "Matching the caller's need to the right free hotline",
      "sources": [
        "https://nacada.go.ke/contact-us",
        "https://www.kbc.co.ke/kenya-red-cross-launches-transformative-initiatives-to-tackle-mental-health/"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds_zh": [],
  "transition_graph": {
    "leads_to": [],
    "preceded_by": [],
    "frequently_confused_with": [
      "emergency/999-or-112/ke"
    ]
  },
  "official_doc_url": null,
  "official_doc_section": null,
  "error_code": null,
  "verification_tier": "ai_generated",
  "confidence": 0.65,
  "fix_success_rate": 0.8,
  "resolvable": "true",
  "first_seen": "2026-09-05",
  "last_confirmed": "2026-09-05",
  "last_updated": "2026-09-05",
  "evidence_count": 3,
  "tags": [],
  "locale": "en",
  "aliases": [
    "mental-health/1192-substance-abuse-only/ke"
  ]
}