Healing Kashmir’s mental health project grows

Ms. Hinna Abdullah with Dr Arif Khan of Kashmir LifeLine & Health Centre

Healing Kashmir’s major project, Kashmir Lifeline & Health Centre is growing fast. When there have been full strikes in Kashmir our team have still been able to take the helpline calls as they were able to take them from the portable system that we have in place. Our outreach program, in which members of our helpline team visit schools and clinics around the Kashmir Valley, was recognized with a feature article in the Kashmir Times(http://www.kashmirtimes.com/news.aspx?ndid=10782). Call volume in the first full month that the toll-free mental trauma helpline was higher than anyone had expected. Dr. Arif Khan discussed the Lifeline the very popular 92.7BIG FM radio station, which led to an average of 30 calls a day over the following weekend. Our central clinic is treating patients, many of whom have been treatment resistant. We are being sent the difficult cases and our team are helping them to change their lives.

Finally, the team were delighted to have a visit from Hinna Abdullah, sister of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. She was very enthusiastic about the project and sent a volley of tweets about what we are doing.