Protecting brain from injuries, isolation need of hour in Kashmir

Srinagar, Jul 21: In Kashmir, brain health faces challenges unique to the place – an alarming burden of road traffic accidents, a growing elderly population, substance abuse and social factors. Safeguarding the brain against injuries, against mental health issues, against drugs and against loneliness could help in bringing down neurological and psychiatric ailments, experts believe.

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a major cause of brain injuries in J&K. Driven by winding mountainous roads, deep gorges, inadequate road infrastructure, and limited adherence to safety measures, a significant number of the young population suffers brain damage.

According to a 2019 study, non-communicable and injury-related neurological disorders, including Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), have surged over the past three decades, with J&K reflecting similar trends. An earlier report revealed that one-in-five people aged between 15-39 died in road accidents, and a much higher number suffered lifelong morbidities, brain and spine damage due to these. Falls are another significant concern, particularly among children and the elderly.

In addition, risks particularly inherent to this region are also worsening brain health in Kashmir. Occupational accidents, such as falls during walnut harvesting or roof construction, exacerbate the burden.

Prof Altaf U Ramzan, former head department of neuro-surgery at SKIMS Soura said in Kashmir, safety protocols are “criminally overlooked”. “We see so many patients injured while riding bikes without helmets, cars without airbags and seat belts. During walnut harvest season, fallen from trees, having clots in brains, damaged spines,” he said. Beyond physical trauma, he said there was a critical need to prevent hypoxia at birth, which can lead to severe developmental brain impairments.

Worsening the scenario created by the physical trauma, the mental health crisis driven by social factors, particularly loneliness is emerging a challenge, especially among the elderly.

Dr Insha Rouf, Assistant Professor Psychiatry at GMC Srinagar has researched extensively on dementia and factors that exacerbate the chances. She said currently there are thousands of Dementia patients on follow up at GMC Srinagar associated hospitals. “We can broadly divide them into two cohorts – the earlier cohort of the beginning of this century which seemed to be with no co-morbidities and entirely determined by age and genetic risk. The new cohort of ever increasing dementia patients in addition to age and genetic factors also seem to be predisposed with other risk factors,” she said. She enumerated the risks as loneliness, depression, bipolarity hypertension and diabetes.

Loneliness, once less prevalent in Kashmir’s tight-knit communities, is now a real concern, contributing to rising rates of depression, anxiety, apart from dementia. J&K is also battling with substance abuse among youth. Substance use is a known cause of brain changes, neurological and psychiatric. Doctors believe brain health in Kashmir is not possible without focus on young and old, physical and non-physical risks and a broader, better understanding of the brain and what brain health implies.