Key focus: What DSM-5 labels as ‘symptoms,’ cultures may honor them as rituals, spirits, or lost souls. Cultural context can turn the unusual into the understandable. Some disorders reveal more about collective beliefs than individual illnesses. The line between healing and distress often depends on who’s holding the lens. Around the world, the human mind has always managed to express adversity in peculiar ways, and culture appears to provide it

Key Focus: Unrealistic positivity can invalidate real struggles in recovery. Recovery needs space for every emotion, not just the “good” ones. Constant cheerfulness can lead to shame and isolation. Honest support and emotional safety encourage genuine healing. Recovery isn’t all sunshine and mantras. Sometimes it’s messy, frustrating, and overwhelming, and that’s exactly how it’s meant to feel. But somewhere along the way, we started sending the message that if you’re

“A woman’s mental strength is not defined by society’s expectations but by her ability to think, feel, and persevere beyond imposed limitations. This Women’s Day, let us move beyond stereotypes and recognize that prioritizing women’s mental health is not an indulgence, but a necessity for a just and progressive world.” Dr. Asfia Khaleel, Consultant Psychiatrist, Ummeed Deaddiction and Rehab Center Women often carry an invisible burden, one that is rarely

Imagine this: You’re scrolling through life, doing your thing, when you hear about someone engaging in self-harm. You pause. It’s a heavy topic, one that people often tiptoe around. But what if we talk about it in a way that makes sense? No medical jargon, no distant textbook explanations—just a real, clear-eyed understanding of what’s happening. So, what exactly is Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI)? It’s when a person deliberately harms themselves—not

Countless teenagers around the world, are affected by teen dating violence, one which is a silent epidemic and often overlooked. There is abuse in a relationship that goes beyond mere violence, as some experience it overtly and some in a subtle form. Imagine being in a relationship where fear replaces love. Where control overshadows affection. And where manipulation drowns your voice. This alarming truth is faced by many adolescents who

As children grow up immersed in technology, timetables, and pressures it is possible to see that there is a storm brewing just beneath the surface. No doubt, most people envision childhood as a stage in life where a child is full of energy, curiosity and happiness, but today’s reality is quite different. At home, out of sight, some children are trying to come to terms with emotions beyond their vocabularies.

Mental Health: A Conversation We Can No Longer Ignore In today’s fast-paced world, mental health issues are on the rise, and it is no longer an option to neglect or stigmatize them. As a progressive society, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves about the various mental health conditions, their symptoms, and, most importantly, how to seek help when needed. Mental health challenges can affect anyone, at any time, so

There’s a restlessness in the air that feels all too familiar. It’s in the continuous buzzing of notifications, the endless scrolling, and the habitual reaching for our phones. We’re all searching for something, and more often than not, we don’t even know what it is. This is the core essence of Dopamine Culture—a contemporary addiction to instant gratification and short bursts of stimulation that’s quietly reshaping how we live, connect,