In Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, protracted conflict has inflicted profound and enduring psychological wounds, particularly upon young women and adolescent girls. In Kashmir, women have been intimately involved in the conflict and continue to be victims of the continuous cycle of violence and abuse.
As women and members of the community, they face psychological and physical abuse, displacement and disillusionment due to the ongoing conflict. Far from abstract geopolitical tensions, the lived realities of militarization, enforced disappearances, curfews and pervasive insecurity have precipitated a gendered mental health crisis marked by elevated rates of depression, anxiety and trauma-related disorders.
A comprehensive 2008 study published in Conflict and Health, drawing on community surveys in Kupwara and Budgam districts, found that 33.3% of respondents exhibited significant psychological distress. Women were disproportionately affected, with 43.8% reporting symptoms compared to 24.1% of men. Notably, one-third of participants had contemplated suicide within the preceding month, underscoring the acute severity of the situation. Risk factors for women included witnessing killings, experiencing torture and economic dependency.
The 2015 Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Kashmir Mental Health Survey, one of the largest of its kind, revealed that approximately 45% of adults in the Kashmir Valley nearly 1.8 million individuals experienced mental distress. Among women, 50% showed probable depression (versus 37% of men), 36% probable anxiety disorders (versus 21% of men) and 22% met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (versus 18% of men).
Recent research further highlights the gender dimensions. In her 2025 study, Aksa Jan examines the mental health of women in Kashmir, highlighting how decades of conflict responsible for over 90,000 deaths and thousands of enforced disappearances have amplified psychosocial stressors. Women, often primary caregivers, contend with direct threats such as sexual violence, family losses and economic precarity. These experiences manifest in chronic depression, anxiety, somatic complaints and profound isolation, compounded by inadequate mental health infrastructure and cultural stigma that discourages help-seeking. Jan emphasizes the urgent need for gender-sensitive support systems to address these intersecting vulnerabilities.
A 2020 chapter by Dar and Deb on the volatile situation in Kashmir reinforces these findings, linking ongoing instability to heightened prevalence of mental health disorders among the general population, with women facing unique socio-cultural pressures that intensify internalized trauma.
For young women and youth specifically, the consequences are particularly debilitating. Conflict-related disruptions to education, restricted mobility and repeated exposure to violence contribute to prevalence rates of depression ranging from 30% to 66% among those aged 15–25 in affected areas. Studies of adolescent females in tertiary care settings indicate that major depressive disorder underlies 44% of suicide attempts, with anxiety disorders and PTSD accounting for additional significant portions. High unemployment reported around 53% among women in some evaluations further entrenches feelings of entrapment and diminished agency.
The human cost extends beyond statistics. Young Kashmiri women navigate aspirations for education and professional growth against the backdrop of communication blackouts, security lockdowns and normalized trauma. According to the 2011 census, Kashmir has only 45 specialized psychiatrists for a population of 12.5 million, which goes against the World Health Organization’s recommendation of at least three practicing psychiatrists per 0.1 million people. This underscores the government’s insufficient provision of mental health care for the people.
This crisis constitutes a pressing women’s rights imperative under international humanitarian and human rights frameworks. The failure to provide adequate psychosocial support contravenes obligations to ensure the right to health, particularly for populations under occupation. The young women of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir deserve more than endurance in silence.
From losing loved ones to living in a violent and uncertain environment to living in the conflict, they have experienced extreme emotional and psychological stress. Women in Kashmir, particularly widows and half-widows, bear a huge burden in caring for their families as well as coping with their own pain. Studies have shown that they are susceptible to mental health conditions like depression, anxiety and PTSD because of their experiences with loss, bereavement and social pressures. Despite the widespread mental health crisis in Kashmir, access to services remains extremely limited.
The writer is a research associate at Kasmir Institute of International Relations.