Fighting Mental illness: Govt to set up ATF in all Kashmir districts

By: Sameer Showkin Lone

Srinagar: With increasing cases of drug abuse and subsequent suicide cases on rise, the government Divisional Administration Kashmir is set to set up Addiction Treatment Facility in all the districts of Kashmir Valley.

According to Director Health Services Kashmir Dr Mushtaq Ahmed said that the recent rise in suicidal cases and increasing drug abuse has pushed the Health Department to take some concrete steps to control the situation.

“The Addiction Treatment Facility (ATF) will be set up in all the 10 districts of Kashmir valley within 15 days,” he said, in the sidelines of a seminar titled Mental Health Scenario in Kashmir Division.

The seminar was attended by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P K Pole and dignitaries from other walls of life, doctors, social servants and journalists.

The Director urged the Divisional Commissioner that a roaster needs to be issued for doctors and subject experts to talk on different media channels and other mediums regarding the mental health and drug abuse which has been sharply increasing in our society.

P K Pole in his address said that drug use is the symptom of mental illness. Pole expressed sadness about the way the youth first film their tale of life and then commit suicide.

He told that media has to play a responsible role.” It’s is much painful to see people sharing such videos on social media with some words of sympathy without knowing its consequences. It has to be stopped and media can play a great role in it,” he said.

He said most of the people related to increasing tendency to suicides with Covid and related economic stress, but it’s is not that way.

He urged the parents to keep keen observation on their wards action and see if he/she behaves normally. “If they find a change in his behavior or realize his actions are somehow towards self harm they must start talking to him and reach out to help lines of the government,” he said.

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