The Hindu
New Delhi, May 20: Due to exposure to traumatic events, over 1.8 million adults — or 45% of Jammu & Kashmir’s population — suffer from some degree of mental distress, according to one of the largest mental health surveys conducted by the medical humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), in the region. Ten per cent of these people, 4,15,000, meet the diagnostic criteria for severe depression, states the MSF report.
Comprehensive survey
The comprehensive survey — done in collaboration with the Department of Psychology, Kashmir University, and the Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (IMHANS) — reveals that 41% of people living in the Valley exhibit symptoms of depression; a further 26% show symptoms of anxiety and 19% show symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The full report will be released on May 25.
The survey shows that, on an average, an adult living in the Kashmir Valley has witnessed or experienced 7.7 traumatic events during his/her lifetime. According to the survey, the number of people living in Kashmir who have experienced and/or witnessed trauma either due to natural disasters or due to conflict stood at 94% and 93%, respectively. Further, over 70% adults have experienced or witnessed the sudden or violent death of someone they knew.
“This survey provides, for the first time, an insight into the level of mental distress in all 10 districts of Kashmir. It was only made possible through a fruitful collaboration throughout the process,” says Dr. Tambri Housen, MSF’s principal researcher. “The next step would be to use this data and work together with key stakeholders and mental health experts to tailor healthcare services to meet the mental health needs of people in Kashmir.”
The survey was conducted between October-December 2015 and covered 5,428 households in 399 villages across all 10 districts of Kashmir.
Lack of awareness
“One crucial outcome of the focus group discussions held in each district was a clear gap in accessibility to mental health services. The main barrier to seeking treatment included lack of awareness of available mental health services. Other commonly mentioned obstacles included distance, travel time, and associated costs necessary to reach health services.”
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