An 11-member team comprising a mental health specialist, which visited Kashmir to understand the situation after the scrapping of the special status in Jammu and Kashmir, has said in its report that “there is a marked increase in psychological distress” in the region.

Delhi-based psychiatrist Dr Amit Sen, who was part of the team and interacted with mental health specialists in the Valley, has said in the report that “widespread disruption of daily life across the state has had a profound impact on the lives of children”. The team, which also comprised human rights activists and legal experts, visited the Valley between September 28 and October 4.

“Grassroot workers are unable to refer children showing clear signs of trauma and abuse to more centralised facilities that are better equipped to deal with such complex cases due to the lack of transport and connectivity. There is a marked increase in psychological distress in 70% (as estimated through a recent survey) of the population, although how it translates into mental health disorders is yet to be seen,” Dr Sen states in the report.

“There is no school, no routine or structure, no healthy recreation, and no sense of safety or predictability…”