SRINAGAR: On a quiet evening, a frantic phone call at Tele-MANAS broke the eerie silence. Sobbing on the line was a 35-year-old woman with a supposed dying declaration. Suffering from family and financial issues, the woman, in no uncertain terms, said she was ending her life. A stoic silence ensued. Counsellor frantically shouted, `Hello, hello, are you there…’. After a few pauses, the woman answered, `Yes’. The counsellor took a deep breath and started persuading the woman to stop thinking of death. He lectured her about `life is beautiful’ and invoked, sometimes, religion to dissuade her from taking the extreme step.
Hours into the conversation, the woman agreed to give life another chance. Such was the persuasion that she dropped by the OPD later for physical counselling sessions. “It was a miracle. A test case of a suicidal person who is on the verge of ending her life. Thanks to the Almighty, we were able to save her life,” said a doctor who treated her.
This is not a case in isolation. Tele-MANAS helpline receives 200 calls a day, which shows the gravity of the mental health crisis in Kashmir. Data reveals that the J&K Tele-MANAS helpline has handled over 1.5 lakh calls. In fact, Jammu and Kashmir is the lead performer in mental health support. Nationwide Tele-MANAS has logged in over 24 lakh calls since its launch in 2022.
“Mental health crisis is grave in Kashmir. We come across patients suffering from a lot of stress, anxiety, depression, etc. What has complicated the problem is the social stigma attached to it. Despite awareness, people still consider consulting a psychiatrist a taboo. They feel the person consulting a psychiatrist is mad. They consult other doctors, but not a psychiatrist. When they land at our hospital, it is too late. It takes a lot of time for recovery,” said Dr Mohommad Abrar Guroo, senior consultant psychiatrist at IMHANS K.
Academic pressure, joblessness, marital disputes, and financial crisis are some of the reasons that fuel depression in Kashmir. “Students have academic pressure, and they worry about employment. Marital disputes and financial crisis precipitate mental health crisis among middle-aged,” said Dr Abrar.
Taking this as a cue, the WHO marks October 10 as World Mental Health Day to raise awareness and mobilize efforts in support of mental health issues. According to the WHO, the day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.
This year, the theme of World Mental Health Day is `Access to Services, Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies’.
“Kashmir is prone to disasters. We have had floods and other disasters. We even see patients who get panicky whenever there is rain. They are survivors of a flood, and it comes to haunt them whenever there is rain,” said Dr Abrar.