Trigger warning: The following article contains references to self-harm; please avoid reading if you feel disturbed by violence
On April 26, it took Areeba (name changed to protect privacy), a counsellor at the Tele Manas helpline in Srinagar, over 40 minutes to deescalate a caller from north Kashmir’s Baramulla from the risk of self-harm. “The 26-year-old labourer had a blade in his pocket. The person he worked for had not paid him, and he faced acute financial stress. His sister helped to take the blade away. We made him pause and introspect — we helped him see the light at the end of a dark tunnel,” Areeba said.
Over the past six months, the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) in Srinagar has received 10,500 calls from people in distress across Jammu and Kashmir’s toll free numbers 14416 and 1800-891-4416.
