Domestic Violence
The Child Guidance and Wellbeing Centre, Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) is being run with the help of UNICEF and caters to the need for children’s mental wellbeing.
According to data from the IMHANS, over the span of five years, from January 2019 to December 2023, the total number of sessions conducted with children and adolescents grappling with various mental illnesses exceeded 33,000.
Most of the children came from Srinagar followed by Budgam, Baramulla, Pulwama, Kupwara, Bandipora, Anantnag, Ganderbal, Shopian. Least number of children were seen from Kulgam district.
Between 2019 and 2021, a total of 602 children sought assistance at the Child Guidance and Wellbeing Centre, Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), due to issues stemming from family discord.
In the subsequent period, from January 2022 to December 2023, the number increased, with a total of 657 children seeking help for similar reasons. Among these, 82 sought assistance due to parental discord, 40 due to parental separation, 78 suffered because of neglectful parenting, 51 experienced challenges associated with authoritarian parenting, 329 sought help due to low socioeconomic status, and 77 children sought assistance for family accommodation issues.
Wadoo said that witnessing domestic violence can have a profound and lasting impact on children’s cognitive development and mental health. The more sensitive a child, the more susceptible they are to these effects, he opined.
“Each child reacts differently to violence,” Wadoo said, adding, “Take the case of two children in the same household. If both have witnessed domestic violence, they can react in a different way. One can react violently and the other can get into depression.”
“Science tells us even unborn babies may be affected by prenatal exposure to domestic violence. When the child is affected inside the womb, he or she is definitely affected after being born,” Wadoo said.
Parental discord and conflict can affect the neuro-chemistry and neuro-development of a child.The most prevalent issue, as per Wadoo, is the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Barriers To Seeking Mental Health Care Nightmares painted with violence chase Zaid (11) in his sleep, his tiny body jolting awake in a cold sweat. Every raised voice sends tremors down his spine, echoing the night his father’s rage erupted like a volcano on his mother. No amount of whispered comfort can erase the chilling memories etched deep within his tender heart.
His father’s presence is a constant tightrope walk for Zaid. Even moments of apparent tenderness send his heart hammering, his young mind unable to silence the fear that the storm will return. Yet, the doctor’s door remains firmly shut.
“It’s astonishing,” says Kakroo.
“Educated families readily seek out specialists for their children’s stomachs and hearts, but they shun psychiatrists. Suicidal thoughts are accepted, but seeking mental health help remains taboo.”
Stigma, like a heavy cloak, suffocates open dialogue and timely intervention. Zaid, and countless others like him, become trapped in a cycle of fear and silence, their unspoken pain echoing in the shadows.
Wadoo also said that parents take mentalhealth issues very lightly but with time things are changing. More and more children are seeking help for mental health issues.
As children in Kashmir grapple with the complex interplay of societal norms and