Patients waiting outside the clinic of a psychiatrist in southern Kashmir in March.    Atul Loke for The New York Times

A mental health crisis in Kashmir

Eight months into India’s push to consolidate control over Kashmir, doctors say a state of hopelessness has morphed into a severe psychological crisis, with health workers reporting an alarming increase in cases of depression and anxiety.

The recent turmoil and trauma in the region, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan, have been worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, the medical professionals say.

“This is just the tip of an iceberg,” said Dr. Majid Shafi, a psychiatrist who is seeing more than 500 patients a week, up from 100 a week last year. “The crisis is growing.”

Context: Decades of violence between Indian security forces and Kashmiri militants had already taken a physical and mental toll on the region’s people. Nearly 1.8 million Kashmiris, or almost half of all adults, have some form of mental disorder, Doctors Without Borders has estimated. Nine of 10 have experienced conflict-related trauma.