India, April 26 -- Mental health stress is silently pushing many towards an early death. While the world focuses on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, we continue to ignore one of their most powerful triggers: chronic psychological stress. It's the invisible force driving unhealthy habits, weakening our immune systems, and setting stage for myocardial infarctions - heart attacks - in people who might otherwise seem physically healthy. Mental strain isn't just an emotional burden; it's a physical one with deadly consequence.

The recent death of an Air India Express pilot in his mid-30s may be case in point and deserves an intensive medical investigation. Not everyone responds to stress in the ...