By Dr Umer Ahmad Ganaie

This year, Kashmir has seen doctors take to social media to voice what was once unspoken: their exhaustion, anxiety, and loss of purpose.

Posts describing sleepless nights, moral fatigue, and fear of failure have drawn hundreds of comments from colleagues who feel the same.

Behind the reassuring faces we meet in clinics and hospitals lies a growing mental health crisis among those who save lives.

For years, the region has leaned on its medical community to carry more than their share of burdens, first through decades of unrest, then the COVID-19 pandemic, and now a deepening public health demand with few resources.

Doctors continue to show up, but their own well-being has silently eroded.“We are trained to work till we collapse,” said a young resident at Government Medical College, Srinagar.“There's no space to say we're breaking.”

A 2022 study by the college's Department of Psychiatry found that nearly half of resident doctors showed symptoms of burnout, depression, or anxiety. Many cited long duty hours, absence of rest, and a constant fear of being judged for seeking help.

“Weakness” is a word many still fear in medicine. But what they are experiencing is not weakness. It is a human response to relentless pressure.

The problem is not confined to Kashmir. A study from a tertiary hospital in South India reported that over 75 percent of resident physicians and 78 percent of interns suffered extreme stress. Many resorted to isolation or unhealthy coping habits, unsure where to turn.

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