In the valley, beyond the unrest, young Kashmiris are building mental peace in youth through art

Before 1989, only 1700 people visited the only psychiatric facility in Kashmir. In 2015, the number had exponentially jumped to 100,000. In 2015, in a study by Doctors without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières), it was alarmingly concluded that half of all residents of the valley suffer from mental health problems. The report stated that  “1.8 million adults – approximately 45% of the total adult population of Kashmir – suffer from some form of mental distress”. The situation is far worse for youth and adolescents. This deep sense of fear, insecurity, and trauma in the youth of Kashmir has almost spread like wildfire now. Tender eyes are uncontrollably exposed to violence, misadventures, and conflict. And the continuous upsurge of violence has manifested itself in a severe neurotic imprint on the minds of thousands of young people.

This is a premium article published in Issue-31 of The Optimist Citizen.

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