“Log ki sochenge” is a common phrase in Punjabi that translates to: “What will people think?”
“It literally kills people,” Prableen Kaur, Executive Director of the Khalsa Community Center, told The Bee. “They are not accessing treatment or help because they are so worried about what their family, friends or community are going to think.”
There is a significant stigma around mental health in the Punjabi Sikh community, with roots in the northern Indian state of Punjab, Prableen said. It’s often perpetuated by cultural beliefs that mental health issues are a burden and bring shame to a person’s family, which can prevent people from seeking help…