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Rapidly changing social and economic structures increase mental health risks for the nomadic Gujjar Bakarwal communities
Although research has pointed to high rates of stressors in the community, few among the Gujjar Bakarwals access mental health care. People usually approach a professional at a later stage when symptoms become severe or disruptive, and the patient shows aggressive behaviour or acute social isolation.
For Catholic nuns, spirituality comes with isolation, pressure to conform and burnout
At least 10% of India’s nuns have mental health issues, as they are pulled between the spiritual path and worldly life. Sexual assault cases, behavioural issues from unresolved childhood trauma and rigid structures of the church are also considered factors for deteriorating mental health among the nuns, at times resulting in suicides.
As the sea gobbles up the coast, Thiruvananthapuram residents are relocated. But are they rehabilitated too?
Most people in Pozhiyoor showed symptoms of trauma and depression after the flood-induced displacement. What affected them the most though was the disintegration of the social and religious fabric.
For Tamil Nadu’s charcoal producers, there is no respite from heat, making them irritable and anxious all the time
The Irular community in Cuddalore cuts trees in the harsh sun during the day and burns the wood to make charcoal at night. Many in the community attribute relentless heatwaves and rising nighttime temperatures to their lack of productivity, irritability, and anger.
How lack of trauma-informed filmmaking hurts survivors of state violence
A teaser of Ajay Devgn’s new film, Chauhaan, refers to pellet gun wounds as “limited damage” retraumatising its victims in Kashmir, Manipur, and Delhi. Kashmiris say they are living with the dire consequences of pellet gun use long after everyone else has moved on.
Assam’s flood waters reached areas never flooded before, leaving its people high and dry
The impacts of experiencing flooding for the first time can last generations. Residents of some districts of Upper Assam speak about the shock and the trauma that followed the floods in July.
For forced Manipuri migrants in Delhi, trauma has become invisible and privatised
Working in Delhi alongside people from the “other” community meant learning to separate their everyday working relationships from the conflict they had left behind. Many said they were carrying memories of violence, displacement, and loss.
Gujjar-Bakarwal gave up their nomadic lifestyle; evicting them from their homes causes fresh intergenerational trauma
We spent a day with the residents of Sidra Bandhi, a Gujjar and Bakerwal settlement outside Jammu, which was allegedly demolished without prior notice. Repeated evictions keep the younger generation on edge and cause long term trauma.
Odisha’s police force is plagued by mental health issues, harming themselves and the public
The image of a police officer as fearless and emotionally strong is deeply ingrained. That leaves very little space to acknowledge vulnerability, even when someone is struggling. Mental health support should become a part of the policing system itself, just like training, welfare, and discipline.