The All Jammu & Kashmir Youth Welfare Association

As is with any place affected by war, social deterioration leads to a rise in mental illness and narcotics abuse.  In Kashmir this is an ever growing problem that is being fueled by  skyrocketing unemployment and a general feel of uncertainty regarding the future. The All Jammu & Kashmir Youth Welfare Association was created in 2004 to offer Kashmiri's a place to rehabilitate. It manages as an N.G.O on a single floor of a beat up building, with only twelve beds. It is still the only drug rehabilitation center offered in Srinagar, a city of over one million inhabitants.

A young tuk-tuk driver shows a cell phone video of a dying man during the 2010 uprising. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains a serious problem in Kashmir as a result of the ongoing violence. Many young men and women turn to medical opiates and other narcotics as a way to shield awful memories.  The All J&K Youth Welfare Association remains the only drug rehabilitation center in Srinagar, a city of over one million people.

Shabir Ahmad, 28 helped found the All J&K Youth Welfare Association in 2004. "We will help a policeman or a freedom fighter," he said,  "it doesn't matter, because it is in our Kashmiri blood to care for people."

Dr. Manzoor Gani has been the head doctor at the All J&K Youth Welfare Association for one month.  He worked before at government run hospitals doing psychiatric cases, but quit when he felt he was failing to make a difference. "The common masses in Kashmir consider it a taboo or a stigma to visit hospitals for cases of mental illness. There are large social and ethnic inhibitions that exist that keep people away ,but I see people trusting this program. There is no communication gap here". Many women continue to refrain from seeking psychiatric help because they fear that if people find out than they will be deemed unmarriable.

Shabir looks over the case record of a young patient. Bilal, 23 arrived at the All J&K Youth Welfare Association barely able to walk after eight years of heavy medical opiate abuse. Now after months of rehab, he holds a job and continues to progress. "I arrived here at ten percent, but now I feel like I am ninety percent. This place helped me so much," he said.

Dr. Manzoor Gani, Shabir and a nurse discuss with Bilal how much prescription anti-opiate medication to give him.

A security camera shows a patient praying.

Shabir looks over the lone patient corridor. He estimates that 45 percent of youth in Kashmir struggle with drug abuse on some level, yet the All J&K Youth Welfare Association has only 12 beds. Shabir has begun to lobby support for a piece of land in which to construct a clinic with 50 to 100 beds.

Patients at the All J&K Youth Welfare Association. Addictions to medical opiates, opium, heroine and alcohol are the most common.

Patients at the All J&K Youth Welfare Association. The average age of a patient is eighteen, but Kashmiri's from all walks of life have begun to seek support from the clinic.

One of the countless pharmacies in Srinagar. It is the only place in India where there are no restrictions on the strength of pharmaceuticals sold over the counter. Painkillers provided to women in labor are available for under a dollar and as a result very popular amongst addicts. Many believe that this in no mistake. "India's health sector has very strong guidelines," said Dr. Manzoor Gani, "but, in Kashmir they don't exist. The government sees a pill as more dangerous than a gun".

The mother of a patient waits for him as he packs up his things to return home. The J&K All Youth Development Center uses ads in the local newspapers to get their word out. As a result, parents and elders have become important mediators in the process of getting teenagers to seek help.

Ajaz, 19, along with his mother as they prepare to return home together. He spent 41 days in the clinic recovering from an opium addiction.

Bilal, age 23, was addicted to a drug called Spasmo Proxyvon, which has become popular amongst addicts as a cheaper substitute for heroin. Due to the lack of restrictions on pharmacies in Srinagar, he was able to attain the pills at a young age. He estimated that he took eight pills a day for around eight years.

The lack of employment opportunities and easy access means that recidivism rates remain high.

Ajaz, 19.

Instances of drug addiction and mental illness are rising rapidly in Kashmir, as are unemployment rates. The most susceptible are a large youth population. The All J&K Youth Welfare Association offers up hope.