[Reader-list] Psychiatrists advocate faith-healing when trauma increases

[Hilal Bhat]

Psychiatrists advocate faith-healing when magnitude of
mental trauma increase

Hilal Bhat
Sarai Fellow srinagar (Kashmir)


My recent filed visits to various shrines of Srinagar
in pursuance of the Sarai fellowship brought to fore
the fact that majority of devotees are forced to take
refuge at a shrine in response to physical, social and
emotional needs. The in-depth interaction with the
people also proved the earlier assertions that the
profile of the devotees cuts across the socio-economic
strata. It also showed how overcrowding at the
Government psychiatric hospital and the stigmatization
of consulting a psychiatrist in a relatively
conservative milieu like Kashmir steers people clear
of the modernistic coping mechanisms.

Rahmti, a middle aged woman from down-town Srinagar
comes to the shrine of Mukhdum Sahab every thursday.
“In 1996,” she says, “My son suddenly disappeared when
he went to market to collect some household items. I
got the clue that he was picked up by security
personnel and visited almost every battalion
headquarter only to be referred to other places.”
Rahmti even approached state High Court and many state
officers and politicians but nothing could be
ascertained about the whereabouts of her youthful son.
The conflict in Kashmir has brought home twelve
thousand such human disappearances. Most of the
families of these disappeared persons have lost faith
in the state machinery after knocking doors of the
authorities for many years. In absence of justice such
people form major chunk of the devotees at various
shrines whereby they seek the help of Pir (saint)  in
dealing with their personal trauma as also to
supplicate the saint in facilitating the return of
their lost members of the family.

Many devotees at Makdum Sahab narrated the tragedies
of life more or less similar to that of Rahmti. 

None of 21 devotees I interviewed visited the shrines
for the reasons which are not related to the conflict.
Enforced disappearances, widowhood, half-widowhood,
routine gun battles, civilian causalities and myriad
manifestations of the protracted low intensity
conflict are the major sites where the mental and
social trauma is produced. This is what makes the
valley fertile for mental sickness of different
magnitude. In the wake of pervasive distrust,
exhibited by the Kashmiris in general the support
within the modern practices of psychiatry is
inadequate. “Over the fifteen years every kashmiri has
become mentally sick,” says a prominent psychiatrist
form Government Psychiatric Hospital, Srinagar. 

The number of patients reporting at OPD of Government
Psychiatric hospital was six in 1990 and today the
figures range 300-350 per day. The statistics speaks
about the magnitude of the collective trauma, Kashmir
continues to witness in the wake of ongoing war. 

The influx of aid workers of diverse vision are looked
upon with doubtful eyes. “Such programs are culturally
alien and the mental health needs of Kashmir are being
met by traditional spiritual practice,” says Shobna
Sonpar, Consultant IIT, Delhi. Due to the centuries’
old established practice of visiting a shrine for
different reasons, the distrust assumes yet greater
importance when it comes of combating the stress
related situation within the modernistic perspective.
Going to a shrine is acceptable to the society but not
going to the Psychiatrist.

Even the Prominent Psychiatrists like Dr Mushtaq
Marghoob advocate involving faith healers in fighting
the psychiatric morbidity which largely emanates from
insecurity of life in Kashmir. The colossal
destruction of Kashmir mindscape can be gauged from.
such assertions. 
When the modern psychiatric practitioners advocate
what is actually unacceptable to their perspective of
healing the mental trauma, it significantly means a
lot





! 
Rgds
Hilal Bhat
Sarai Fellow (Srinagar Kashmir)




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