Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide, cyberbullying Radha Krishna Murthy, living alone in Hyderabad, away from his hometown, faced a distressing incident when his father called him sounding upset. “He said ‘You killed me alive’,” Murthy recalls in a conversation with The Better India. Upon checking his phone, Murthy discovered that his images had been morphed and shared with at least 1,500 contacts, leading to harassment and abuse. Shaken, he realised that he had fallen prey to deepfake abuse and cybercrime. For the next few days, he was harassed by strangers contacting his connections via unk ..read more

Trigger warning: Mention of suicide Engineer Tharun Sai’s Hyderabad-based platform ‘FindHope’ was born out of a need to ensure that no one ever experienced loneliness — a feeling he battled for most of his life. It was a series of events that led to the inception of the mental health endeavour. The gruelling preparation for the IIT-JEE exam coupled with the stress and isolation the pandemic brought with itself were among the few events. But the real jolt came when he watched some of his own college mates die by suicide. “FindHope helps youth between the ages of 18 and 24 by connecting them wit ..read more

Namarita Kathait, a 29-year-old Delhi resident, spent the major part of her school life wondering why she had it tougher than others. Unaware of why her mother behaved in “a certain way”, Namarita did not know how to handle things. It was only later once she discovered her mother’s condition to be schizophrenia, that she got a better handle on things. However, this did not simplify life for Namarita who had to step up as a caregiver for her younger siblings early on in life. With so much to deal with, Namarita went through her own share of mental health struggles that she found tough to articu ..read more

In 2018, Samriddhi Malhotra from Gurugram was going through a rough patch in her personal life. Her seemingly perfect marriage was crumbling and she couldn’t recall the last time she felt truly happy. While Samriddhi was uncertain about a lot of things at the time, there was one thing that was non-negotiable. She wanted to build a life her future self would thank her for. That same year, Samriddhi took a call to move to Goa. Within a week’s time, the 32-year-old was unrecognisable. Not only did her physical appearance undergo a transformation but her mindset did too. “I started looking forward ..read more

Trigger warning: This story contains mentions of suicide, depression and self-harm. In a bright room, 20-year-old Raj Dagwar met his college therapist, a stranger who would alter his life forever. After silently enduring his suffering for almost seven months, Raj finally felt a sense of relief, as if he could breathe freely again. “I spoke continuously for two hours without skipping a beat. That day, I realised how important it is to just talk…and the strength that lies in the power of listening,” he recalls in a conversation with The Better India. Now 25, Raj Dagwar is the founder of Listener ..read more

The naysayers might tell you life isn’t always cut out to be easy, but IAS officer Divya Mittal believes otherwise. The IIM Bangalore graduate often takes to X — formerly known as Twitter — to share her learnings on life and work. In one thread, she shared 10 lessons she learned over the years, reflecting society’s behavior. Here, we take a deep dive into these: 1. Believe in yourself Believe in yourself Believe in yourself even when no one believes in you. Especially at that time believe in yourself. Don't let other people define what you can or cannot do — Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) O ..read more

Trigger Warning: Descriptions of child loss, grief, death and suicidal thoughts. Kolkata’s Swagata Majumdar and Anirban Bhattacharya had always dreamt of having twins. So, in 2019, when she naturally conceived fraternal twins, the couple’s joy had no limits. They even nicknamed them Gamma and Gannu. The babies were growing well in their amniotic sacs until the fifth month of her pregnancy when the fluid for one of the children broke. The doctors comforted the couple saying both babies were resilient and were doing fine. After a month of monitoring in the hospital, Swagata was discharged. “But ..read more

Mugdha Pradhan runs iTHRIVE, a health and wellness startup focused on reversing diseases with functional nutrition. Her own journey towards healing, both mentally and physically, inspired the creation of this startup. Initially, an HR manager working in Canada after marriage, Mugdha struggled with the challenges of being alone in a new country while striving for perfection in her personal and professional life. As her marriage showed signs of not working, she started using food as a coping mechanism. Her mental and physical health further worsened postpartum. Diagnosed with clinical depression ..read more

In 2006, when IRS officer Shubhrata Prakash got to know that she was going to have a caesarian section, she was left terrified. Although she was delighted to see her newborn, she kept weeping and wished she did not have to live. Being a first-time mom, she did not have any awareness about postpartum depression.  Over time, Shubhrata tried to distract herself with official work but she did not feel like her old self again. “There were days when I could not get out of bed or even brush my teeth. If anyone would say a kind word to me, I would break down. Since nothing was physically wrong wi ..read more

Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide, bullying, eating disorder and depression. The feeling of holding your child for the first time is indescribable. However, motherhood, especially in the first few months, can be challenging. It can have a significant impact on your mental health as you learn the art of taking care of a small human. Some mothers find pregnancy difficult, others have a traumatic labour and delivery, and some struggle during the postpartum period. For Pooja Srinivasa Raja, it was the latter. After a smooth pregnancy and delivery, the then 22-year-old was hit hard by postpartum ..read more