Srinagar, Jun 2: Battered by the violence in the past month, the people of Uri, having lived a nightmare, saw a window of hope provided by a team of mental health experts from the Child Guidance and Well-being Centre (CGWC) at the Department of Child Psychiatry, IMHANS-Kashmir.ìThey experienced catharsis, the team said.
The mental health camp, organised in collaboration with UNICEF India recently launched a series of mental health and medical outreach camps in the high-risk regions of Uri and Kupwara.
They targeted vulnerable communities near the Line of Control (LoC), including the village of Sultan Deki.
The camps are addressing the much-neglected mental health needs of the populations living under the constant threat of cross-border shelling. The team said more than 1500 individuals, including men, women, children, adolescents, the elderly, and defence personnel availed the services provided at the camps.
Notes from the camp reveal the deep-rooted, unsettling experiences that have affected the people in the area.
Children who were brought to the camp talked about the fears they faced.
ìThey talked and understood that feeling fear is natural and that talking about their experiences helps in mitigating bottled-up emotions,î a counsellor who was part of the camp said.
Many children have experienced prolonged displacement, and disruption of normal, and daily activities including schooling.
A mother who was at the camp said, ìFor the first time we understood that our childrenís silence and fear is not a sign of weakness but the trauma they have undergone.î
Another parent said that the session helped her child talk about the days that were filled with uncertainty and violence.
ìThey were unable to sleep amidst bangs of shelling and today it looked like they were trying to reconcile with their experiences,î she said.
An elderly participant said the medical camp gave their community a sense of hope to overcome the trauma.
ìWe live in fear, today we saw hope,î a resident said.
Police personnel working in the area said that working in this part of J&K was full of challenges and mental health was a silent crisis.
ìWe will always welcome such initiatives where we can talk about our daily struggles,î he said.
The services included psychiatric consultations, psychological counselling, psycho-education sessions, and the distribution of medicines and hygiene kits.
Awareness material was also shared to raise awareness about mental health, substance use prevention, and how to access professional help.
The team also introduced the population to Tele-MANAS, the 24/7 national mental health helpline operated by IMHANS-Kashmir.
ìThis will help in keeping the facilities just a call away for the population,î the team said.
The team thanked J&K Police, particularly Tariq Ahmad, SDPO Uri, and Mudasir Ahmad, SHO Uri.
ìTheir efforts in coordination, community mobilisation, and fostering a sense of safety helped in making the outreach a success,î they said.
