KV Correspondent

Braid Chopping incidents can lead to psychological disorders, warn experts 

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Srinagar: With increasing incidents of braid chopping in Kashmir, health experts have warned that if such incidents continue unabated, it will aggravate the condition of the victims, who may start developing psychological disorders.

Though, as of now no victim has come forward, complaining of any ailment, but there are going to be psychological implications on such patients, experts say, adding that not only the victims are going to be affected, but also those living around them, won’t be able to maintain a safe distance from the effect.

Notable, there is a wide range of behaviours that the victims are expected to response in. Such as they are going to develop symptoms of depression, and some may plunge deep into depression, if such incidents will not stop, warn the experts.

“Such patients can experience recurrence of such events, they may experience that their braid is chopped off all over again, especially in dreams, that may add to their anxiety level, ” said Dr. Muhammad Maqbool Dar, Head of the Psychiatry Department.

What will be more worse, as per psychologists, the patients will be fearful of leaving their houses and will confine themselves to the four walls of their houses.

Much of it can be observed around since the braid chopping incidents have increases, not only victims, but the entire womenfolk have turned apprehensive of some untoward happening any time soon.

“When I am home, I keep windows and doors bolted, and even then I am scared, not to talk to of moving out alone, it is really getting worse,” said Mumtaza, a home maker living in city outskirts.

Health experts are saying that such victims will be fearful of moving out. Even those who have not experiences such thing, are growing panicky day by day, with no let up in braid chopping incidents.

Psychologists warn that if such incidents keep on happening, the situation may become even worse, especially for the victims, and for others as well.

“Those who have become victims of braid chopping, initially, will develop certain psychological disorders, such as anxiety, fear psychosis, hyper vigilantism, but soon they will forget this and will try to move on. They will, sort of adjust, but if such incidents keep on happening, these disorders are only going to aggravate and soon may take an ugly turn,” said a mental health expert, wishing anonymity.

Experts cry that those victims who are teenagers or even below that are going to suffer more, while those, who have crossed a certain age limit, may prefer to look at it in a different way.

“For teenagers this situation may take an ugly turn and the incident is expected to stay with them for the lifetime if proper counseling and guidance is not done,” he said adding that in this case their peer group has got a bigger responsibility to take care of, more than their family to act more supportive.

Interestingly, not even a single patient has come out for the treatment and are said to be afraid of doing so because of the societal compulsions, “The victims should not be afraid of coming out and asking for treatment if they are facing any kind of problem,” psychologists said.

What is more bewildering is that not even a single victim who were the targets of braid choppers have been sent for the medical examination to see if they have started developing any psychological complications, sources said.

If such victims are not addressed in proper time frame, mental health experts warn, then in near future—if such incidents keep on happening—situation is going to be worse, with psychological complications taking deep roots in the society, especially within the womenfolk who are the immediate targets of these incidents.


KV Correspondent

Kashmir Correspondent cover all daily updates for the newspaper

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