Inside Kashmir's Mental Health Conversation

Mental Health Day highlights the hidden struggles in the valley and the small steps toward healing.

- Wasim Kakroo

People daily arrive in my clinic carrying burdens they cannot show. They speak in fragments about sleepless nights, overwhelming anxiety, and persistent sadness.

I read their mails and messages, and notice a recurring theme: curiosity mixed with fear of being judged and dismissed.

When readers ask how we can raise awareness in a place where stigma remains strong, I often start with the simplest advice: begin the conversation, share your own experiences, and listen without judgment.

These acts sound small, but they ripple outward.

Learning the signs of emotional distress, including restlessness, withdrawal, irritability, helps people respond with empathy rather than suspicion.

Social media can amplify awareness. A shared article, a short video, or a post about coping strategies can connect someone silently struggling with a community willing to support them. Advocating for programs in schools, workplaces, and local governance adds another layer, building infrastructure where once there was none.

Questions about relationships appear frequently.

People want to know whether attachment styles are real or just pop psychology. I explain that attachment theory has deep roots.

John Bowlby, a British psychoanalyst, studied infants separated from their caregivers and discovered that early bonds shape all future relationships. Mary Ainsworth expanded this framework, categorizing attachments as secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized.