Srinagar, May 6 -- We are now seeing the cost of this silence. There's been a disturbing rise in suicides among Kashmir's youth, and yet we still lack the mental health services they desperately need. In a welcome decision in 2023, Jammu and Kashmir announced the setting up of a dedicated mental health authority, in response to the growing mental health crisis in the union territory, more so in Kashmir Valley. The primary objective of this authority is to oversee and regulate all mental health facilities within the region, ensuring they are properly registered and conform to established guidelines.

For example, casual use of terms such as "psychotic," "crazy," or "psychopath" perpetuates negative stereotypes and stigma. The terms, often ...