This report estimated the prevalence of mental health-related conditions, specifically depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in Kashmir and determined the accessibility of mental health services.The survey showed that nearly 1.8 million adults (45% of the adult population) in the Kashmir Valley are experiencing symptoms of mental distress, with 41% exhibiting signs of probable depression, 26% probable anxiety and 19% probable PTSD.
Topics: mental health, Kashmir, survey of mental health prevalence in Kashmir, management of mentally ill patients, recommendations for policy makers, recommendations for collaborative departments/implementers, recommendations for future research, demographic and economic and political context of Kashmir, overview of study methodology, prevalence of mental health conditions, exposure to traumatic events, problems of daily life and coping strategies, physical health, risk factors for mental distress, substance use, trauma, extended understanding beyond trauma, challenges in providing healthcare, multidisciplinary approach to mental health prevention and care
Terms: health, mental health, access to mental healthcare, mental health awareness, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety
The Kashmir Mental Health Survey (KMHS) report provides a summary of the results of the first mental health
survey conducted in all 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley.
The results indicate that, on average, an adult living in the Kashmir Valley has witnessed or experienced 7.7 traumatic events during his/her lifetime. Exposure to multiple traumatic events was positively associated with all three mental disorders. We found a dose-response relationship between traumatic events experienced or witnessed and the development of symptoms of
depression, anxiety and PTSD. There was an upward trend in the proportion of all three disorders in districts reporting greater numbers of traumatic events in the population.
The burden of mental distress and evident gap in service delivery found in the KMHS 2015 highlights the need to develop a comprehensive and integrated decentralized prevention, care and treatment program in the Kashmir Valley, tailoring services to address the specific socio-cultural understanding of mental illness.
December 2016
Originally published
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