In Kashmir, Stigma Still Wins

Mental health issues are growing in Kashmir, but we still struggle to offer real support when it’s needed most.

- Musaib Bilal

When I first told my mother I was seeing a therapist, she went quiet. After a long pause, she asked, “Are they going to give you electric shocks?” Her view of therapy was shaped by old Bollywood films: people locked up in asylums, their heads shaved, chains rattling as they screamed.

That moment said everything about how we treat mental health. We talk about it a lot more now. On social media, in schools, and even in workplaces. But when someone in Kashmir breaks down in front of us, when they reach out for help, we often freeze. We want to support, but we don't know how.

I've seen it happen too often. I've been the person offering help and then retreating when it was needed most. I've also been on the other side, reaching out for support only to hear “Snap out of it,” or “You're overthinking.”

These words, meant to soothe, only made the pain worse. They make you feel as if your struggles are invalid, as if your mind isn’t allowed to be in pain.