Afghanistan: Women trapped in the mental health system

All of this makes it more difficult for women like Mariam and Habiba to leave - and the longer they stay, the fewer places there are for those who say they desperately need help.

One family had been trying for a year to admit their 16-year-old daughter, Zainab, to the centre, but they were told there were no beds available. She is now one of the youngest patients there.

Until then she had been confined to her home - her ankles shackled to prevent her running away.

It's not clear what mental health problems Zainab has been experiencing, but she struggles to verbalise her thoughts.

A visibly distressed Feda Mohammad says the police recently found his daughter miles from home.

Zainab had gone missing for days, which is especially dangerous in Afghanistan, where women are not allowed to travel long distances from home without a male guardian.

"She climbs the walls and runs away if we unchain her," Feda Mohammad explains.

Zainab breaks down into tears every now and then, especially when she sees her mother crying.

Feda Mohammad says they noticed her condition when she was eight. But it worsened after multiple bombings hit her school in April 2022.

"She was thrown against a wall by the blast," he says. "We helped carry out the wounded and collect the bodies. It was horrific."

Exactly what would have happened if space hadn't been found is unclear. Zainab's father said her repeated attempts to run away were dishonouring him, and he argued it was better for her and her family that she is confined to the centre.

Whether she - like Mariam and Habiba - will now become one of Qala's abandoned women remains to be seen.

*The names of the patients and their families have been changed throughout