Why Jammu and Kashmir saw the highest attempted suicide rate in India in 2022

The Valley is experiencing a mental health crisis, linked to persistent violence and its detrimental impact on residents, particularly young people.

A women sits at the window of her house devastated by gunfire during a civilian encounter in Kashmir. | Photo Credit: By special arrangement

Wahid Mir, 43, from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, looks older than his years as prays at the graveyard in his village— it is a ritual he has been performing each morning for the last six years. He prays for his dead son and brother, both lost to the Kashmir conflict in 2016. His son, was only 10 when he was killed in a stone-pelting incident, and his brother died under similar circumstances two months later.

Mir worked in a local government school. Since the meagre salary was not enough to support his family, he left the job to try his luck at cricket, a game practised and followed with avid interest all over India, especially in Kashmir. Despite having talent, he failed to make a mark in the game. Financial struggles strained his marriage and soon, his wife left him. “Despite frequent fights, the couple were held together by their son. When they lost their only son, his wife moved out, leaving Mir alone with his loss,” said one of Mir’s friends.

Mir has attempted suicide over five times in the past three years. His story is representative of that of a considerable number of people in Kashmir who have been left depressed and traumatised by the prolonged conflict in the Union Territory (UT). The latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), published in December 2023, revealed that Jammu and Kashmir had the highest number of reported cases of attempted suicide in 2022. Of the 1,769 cases recorded by the Bureau across India in 2022, 497 were reported from the UT alone.

Kashmiris clash with security forces following the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the government. Srinagar, September 13, 2019. | Photo Credit: Danish Ismail/ REUTERS

Jammu and Kashmir Police records revealed a rise in suicide attempts in 2021, with 586 cases reported in the Valley in 2021, compared to 472 cases in 2020. The trend was highlighted also by data from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), which recorded 365 suicide attempts and 127 deaths between February 2021 and August 2022.

A report by the National Human Rights Commission of India on May 21, 2004, says that 20,000 people have attempted to die by suicide in the 14 years of socio-political unrest in Kashmir, from 1990 to 2004. Of these, 3,000 attempts resulted in death, mostly among those aged 16 to 25. Militancy, closely followed by suicide, reportedly causes the highest number of deaths in Kashmir.

There is practically no mohalla (locality) in Jammu and Kashmir without any cases of death by suicide. Psychiatrists from the UT say that the persistent violence has severely affected the mental health of Kashmiris, leading to a rise in stress-related illnesses, and pushing many, especially the youth, towards suicide. Added to the unrest are related causes like post-violence complications, unemployment, and cultural constraints that restrain victims of abuse from speaking out. A 2015 study called “Kashmir Mental Health Survey” conducted by Médecins Sans Frontières revealed that the suicide rate surged from 0.5 per 100,000 people before the insurgency to 13 per 100,000 now.

Longterm stress

As per the NCRB report, Jammu and Kashmir accounted for nearly 30 per cent of the total number of suicide cases in India in 2022, thus maintaining a consistent pattern observed over the years. After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the UT witnessed a spike, with over 450 cases of suicide—the highest in a decade. The number escalated further in 2021, with 586 cases, says the NCRB report.

Dr Yasir Rather, a psychiatrist at the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) in Srinagar, shed light on this: “In Kashmir, drowning and drug overdose are the usual methods of attempted suicide. Both lead to a situation where intervention is almost impossible.” Rather stressed the central role played by the conflict, with its short-term and long-term fallouts, in shaping the mental health landscape of Kashmiris, adding that domestic violence, financial difficulties, unemployment, a rise in cases of sexual harassment of women, and inter-relationship issues also led to depression and suicide. Rather and his colleagues at IMHANS attend to approximately 350 patients daily, with 30 per cent of the cases involving psychological counselling after suicide attempts.

There is practically no locality in Jammu and Kashmir without any cases of death by suicide. Official statistics from the NCRB report reveal a surge in incidents of gender harassment, with the number of cases increasing from 3,069 in 2019 to 3,937 in 2021. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/ iStock

Tahira, a 23-year-old woman from Sopore in north Kashmir who had been raised single-handedly by her widowed mother, aspired to become a doctor. Despite persistent efforts, she could not crack the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). This failure, coupled with financial challenges, soon became too much to bear. In November 2022, Tahira did not return from her NEET tuition classes. She probably chose to end her life by jumping into the Jhelum—her body, however, was never found.

Tahira’s case is indicative of the problems faced by the majority of Kashmiri youth. Limited job prospects have made many Kashmiri students reconsider their educational paths. This is demonstrated by the fact that the admission rate in schools, colleges and universities was abysmally low in 2023. Colleges recorded a 40.63 per cent decrease in admissions across the UT in 2023.

In 2022, the Government Degree College in Ganderbal had admitted 1,700 students, which dropped to around 700 in 2023. The Government Degree College in Beerwah also saw a decline, from 493 to 311. The Government Degree College of Khansahib in Budgam, Handwara college, and a women’s college in Srinagar showed similar trends.

Universities also saw very few admissions even as they faced criticism for untimely examinations and late results. The University of Kashmir, once known for its closely contested entrance examinations, extended the admission process by almost six months in 2023 due to a lack of response. There were widespread vacancies in postgraduate courses across the Valley.

The dwindling admission figures point at young Kashmiris’ frustration with the education system in an UT where job prospects are very low. This despair is also one of the reasons behind the rise of drug addiction and deaths by suicide.

Doctors at IMHANS see around 100 cases of drug addiction on a daily basis. Rather pointed out that that the actual number of addicts is probably higher, since many do not openly admit their addiction or seek help. “There is a discernible shift in the drug usage pattern in Kashmir, from medicinal opioids to more potent and dangerous hardcore drugs, predominantly intravenous heroin,” he said.

Drug menace

According to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 60,000 people in Jammu and Kashmir are grappling with drug addiction since 2018, marking a substantial increase of 1,500 per cent over the past three years.

“In the 10-17 years age group, approximately 1,68,700 children are drug users in Jammu and Kashmir,” said a report of the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment in August 2023. The report found out that these children are consuming substances such as cannabis, opioids, sedatives, cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants, and hallucinogens, as well as taking inhalants. The majority prefer opioids and inhalants, while sedatives and cannabis are quite common too.

In the 18-75 age group, there are 11,80,000 drug users in Jammu and Kashmir, the Standing Committee informed Parliament. They are primarily addicted to opioids, followed by cannabis, sedatives, and inhalants. The total number of drug users in the UT is 13,48,700, with the possibility of the actual figure being higher, considering that the estimates are based on the projected population.

A drug addict spends approximately Rs.88,000 each month on an average to sustain their habit—which is a huge financial burden, considering that much of Kashmir’s population lives below or near the poverty line. The financial strain often leads addicts to start stealing. “There are many cases in which a person overdoses and dies. That too is taken as suicide,” Rather said. This dismal reality contrasts sharply with the projected resurgence of Kashmir, as advertised in jubilant government campaigns like #NayaKashmir.

Wall of silence

Kashmir has a high incidence of cases of sexual harassment and domestic violence too, and the trend shows no signs of going down. Cultural and religious teachings emphasising respect for women seem to be at odds with the reality on the ground. Disturbingly, 2022 witnessed 237 reported cases of child rape across Jammu and Kashmir.

Arbeen, 24, a university student, struggles with acute anxiety issues. Her problems began with harassment on local transport. Recounting her ordeal, Arbeen expressed frustration at the lack of support, saying, “Nearly every day, a man twice or thrice my age would touch me, harass me, and just walk away. I am unable to speak out as I was lectured on my clothing when I tried.” The reluctance to address these issues creates a wall of silence. Notably, Jammu and Kashmir does not have a designated women’s commission ever since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Manaal Andrabi, a counsellor at Tele-Manas. Kashmir’s dismal reality contrasts sharply with the projected resurgence of Kashmir, as advertised in jubilant government campaigns like #NayaKashmir. | Photo Credit: Raashid Andrabi

A 2021 study by BMC Women’s Health reveals a concerning 160 per cent increase in reported cases of “cruelty by husbands and relatives” in Jammu and Kashmir between 2001 and 2018. The report further exposes that 11 per cent of married women in the UT experienced physical or sexual violence in 2021, with husbands typically identified as the perpetrators. This is a phenomenon which has remained almost unchanged over the years. The corresponding figure in the 2015-16 and 2005-06 reports was 12 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.

Amidst all this bleakness, some consolation is provided by initiatives such as Tele Manas, a mental health helpline in Kashmir. It consists of a small room with six tiny cabins where 19 women try their best to save as many lives as possible. Till date, Tele Manas has dealt with around 30,000 calls since its formal opening in November 2022. Of these, roughly 10,000 were classified as acute distress calls, with issues ranging from suicidal thoughts to self-harm.

According to Dr Hina Hajini, a psychiatrist with IMHANS who also supervises Tele Manas, the daily pattern of more than 100 calls has remained consistent over the years, but increased awareness of the initiative has led to a rising number of people reaching out for help. Manaal Andrabi, one of the counsellors at the helpline, said, “There is a stigma attached to mental health issues, particularly among children and women. It is important to break this barrier and improve communication.” The team at Tele Manas has received specialised training to handle suicide cases. Andrabi said, “We tell them they are not alone; we try to make them feel safe.”

Tele Manas maintains continuous contact with vulnerable individuals, helping them in the healing process. “No one has ever died by suicide after giving a call to Tele Manas,” Hajini said.

Raashid Andrabi is a Srinagar-based journalist who writes on political, societal, and environmental matters.