Shukria's Story as Told by Nasrullah, Her Husband

People call my wife crazy in three different languages.

My wife is thirty-three years old. We have been married for ten years. She
was well when we got married. We were married in Kabul. She was neat, clean,
and looked after the children. Now, she's always thinking that everyone is her
enemy.

In August of 1992, she became ill. The fighting was going on between the
Jihadi factions. One night, she just started talking to herself, saying, "Why do
you want to kill me? Why do you want to kill my children?" She talked to
herself all night.

When the Mujahideen came, we were living in Kabul. We had to keep moving
to different places, because rockets kept coming. My parents and relatives were
not very good to my wife. They were not kind when she became ill.

For some time her brothers wanted to put her into a mental hospital in Jal-
alabad. For awhile she was in a hospital here in Peshawar. She got electric
shock. That helped a bit, but not for long. Also, she could not bear to be apart
from the children, so they had to stay with her in the hospital, which was not
good for them.

The medication she's on has bad side effects. She can't keep her tongue in
her mouth, and water comes out of her mouth all the time.

My wife has removed the children from school, saying, "Our enemies will
get you, so don't go." She rushes after the children when they leave the house
to play with their friends.

My wife's behavior disturbs the neighbors. She talks all the time, very loudly,

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