Srinagar, May 2 -- For a long time, I thought I was only anxious. I had the signs: racing thoughts, sleepless nights, the panicked second-guessing of every choice. Some days I felt like I was drowning. Other days, it was like I had a drummer in my chest, beating a war song no one else could hear.

But depression and anxiety were only symptoms. I didn't realize something deeper was running the show.

It was my mentor who said it first: "You're not just anxious. You're ashamed."

Shame? The word stung. I hadn't done anything disgraceful. I wasn't hiding a scandal. What did I have to be ashamed of?

It took me six months to even consider it. But slowly, through therapy, I saw what I had never wanted to look at. Shame doesn't always wear a na...