Areeba*, a 22-year-old university student in Kashmir, slips a strip of small blue pills into her math textbook before class. She explains calmly, “I take half when I can’t sleep, one if I can’t walk. I don’t want to take them, but they help me get through the day.”
Across Kashmir, India’s northernmost and politically tense region, many young people are using drugs on their own to deal with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Years of conflict, repeated lockdowns, and recent flare-ups — including drone strikes and power blackouts during cross-border tensions in May — have made mental health care hard to access.
India’s National Mental Health Mission has expanded services in several states. However, Kashmir still lacks enough mental health professionals. With few therapists, counsellors, or psychiatrists available, many turn to antidepressants, sedatives, or illegal drugs without prescriptions or proper care.
Panic attacks and fear
Zubair Iqbal, a 20-year-old student from Sopore, remembers May 9 clearly. He was packing for a flight to Delhi when it was canceled due to tensions with Pakistan. That evening, his family experienced a blackout.
“We heard what sounded like a thousand thunderstrikes,” he says. “My brother said it was thunder, but I knew it was a drone attack.”
Zubair collapsed, shaking and unable to see clearly. “My heart was racing. I thought I was dying.”
The next day, he asked his father to see a doctor. But his father refused, saying it was just fear and suggested a faith healer instead. Frustrated, Zubair searched online for an antidepressant and bought it from a local pharmacy without a prescription.
Mental health needs ignored
A clinical psychologist in Srinagar, who spoke anonymously, said Zubair’s story is common. The long conflict and high unemployment, especially among women (53.6%), have made trauma normal for many.
She sees more than 100 patients a day, mostly teenagers. “Every other teenager reports mental health problems. They worry schools will close or parents will lose jobs. But few seek therapy.”
Data supports her view. A 2015 study by Médecins Sans Frontières found 1.8 million adults in Kashmir — about 45% of the population — suffer significant mental distress. Nearly 20% show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Depression symptoms appear in 41% of women and 26% of men.
According to 2011 government data, only 41 psychiatrists served the entire Jammu and Kashmir region, home to 12.5 million people. Experts say the number has barely increased since.
Struggles near the border
Kubra Aziz, 24, lives 3 km from the Line of Control with Pakistan. During recent shelling, she fled with her family to Baramulla. Her cousin, with a history of mental illness, panicked and screamed all night in a college shelter.
The next day, Kubra took her to the district hospital, but the psychiatrist was absent. She says this is common. Even when doctors are present, they are overwhelmed and misdiagnoses happen.
Without therapy, many turn to medication or drugs. “People buy psychiatric pills from pharmacies or use charas (hash), tobacco, or anything to numb their minds,” Kubra explains.
Nadeem*, who left Kashmir for Saudi Arabia three years ago, says, “I was unemployed and addicted to hash. My family hoped leaving would help.” He quit drugs abroad but returned recently due to rising violence. “The stress is back. I don’t know how long I can hold on.”
A government drug de-addiction center reported a 2,660% increase in patients since 2016. Most are self-medicating trauma, not recreational users.
Nadeem adds, “People aged 10 to 40 are trapped in addiction. Just look at the schoolkids.”
Lack of mental health support in schools
Aman Bhat, 17, a high school student in Budgam, says his school has no counsellors. “If someone is anxious or depressed, there’s no one to talk to. We don’t have words for mental health here — just say ‘my heart feels heavy.’”
Many classmates chew tobacco to handle stress. “What else can they do?” he asks.
In villages, medical facilities are scarce. “We don’t have real hospitals like other parts of India.”
Learning from successful models
Kashmir lacks community mental health programs like Atmiyata, a project started in Gujarat in 2017. Atmiyata trains volunteers to provide basic counselling in homes or temples. Volunteers use films to address issues like unemployment and domestic violence, helping people open up.
When cases are severe, volunteers help connect patients to government mental health services and assist families with social benefits.
Experts call for urgent action
Dr. Sameena Qadri, a public health psychiatrist, says medication alone is not enough. “Antidepressants offer short-term relief. Without therapy and social support, problems remain.”
Her call comes ahead of the UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health on September 25, which aims to expand affordable mental health care globally by 2030.
Qadri urges Kashmir to build a district-wide care system with trained volunteers, mobile clinics, tele-psychiatry, and school counselling.
“Children growing up with trauma need support. Without it, we risk losing a generation. These services are urgent, not luxuries.”
A call for global partnership
“We need governments, civil society, and global health groups to scale community care. Vulnerable people can’t wait for perfect systems. They need help now,” Qadri said.
“Mental health is dignity. Without it, peace and development remain out of reach.”
Kubra agrees: “We talk about peace, but how can there be peace when people break inside and no one hears them?”
Until community programs like Atmiyata reach Kashmir, young people will keep hiding their pain — behind textbooks, in pharmacies, and in darkened rooms.
*Names changed to protect identities.
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