As someone who usually writes about economics, this reflection may seem like a departure from my usual terrain. Yet, the more I have engaged with the world around me, the more I have come to realize that no economic model fully captures the cost of what is left unspoken in a society. Sometimes, the most pressing issues are not the ones reflected in growth charts or policy documents, but the ones hidden in conversations we avoid. Mental health in Kashmir is one such issue: quietly pervasive, deeply impactful, and yet cloaked in stigma so thick that even acknowledging one’s own struggle feels like a transgression.

Kashmir is not unfamiliar with stressors—political, social, economic, and historical. For decades, life here has been shaped by a complex interplay of turmoil, uncertainty, unemployment, shifting social structures, and a sense of perpetual instability. One does not need to be a mental health professional to understand that prolonged exposure to such conditions inevitably leaves a psychological imprint. What is more puzzling, however, is the collective reluctance to talk about it. The silence around mental health does not simply exist. It is actively sustained by cultural norms, social expectations, and the fear of being perceived as “weak” or “unstable.”

When I first decided to seek therapy myself, I was driven not by any dramatic breakdown but by a simple desire to understand my mind better. It was an act of self-responsibility and not self-indulgence. Yet the reactions I encountered—from raised eyebrows to gently patronizing concern—revealed the gap between private struggles and public acceptance. The moment you mention therapy, it feels as though people begin to view you through a slightly altered lens. For them, therapy signifies a problem but for me, it signifies an attempt at clarity. This disconnect is symptomatic of a larger societal misunderstanding.

Historically, mental health in our society has been framed in extremes. Either one is “fine,” or one is suffering from something so severe that it becomes........

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