Trauma Nation: Fighting India’s Silent Epidemic

Do you feel emotionally numb or dangerously on edge, without really knowing why? Do you tend to get stuck in endless loops of damaging memories? Or find yourself unable to leave people or situations that you know, in your bones, aren’t good for you? Sometimes, fear, shame, and self-doubt may hold us ransom and keep us from becoming our full, authentic selves. Trauma is a silent epidemic in India. It hides in plain sight, embedding itself in our bodies, families, and communities— manifesting as anxiety, depression, physical illnesses, addictions, and various other mental health issues. In Trauma Nation, mental health expert and professor, Dr Nishtha Lamba, traces the origins and trajectories of trauma through events that impact our lives—toxic relationships, childhood wounds, accidents, and historical tragedies. Using deeply personal stories from survivors, science, and personal anecdotes, she analyses how trauma in Indian society is handed down generations like a cursed heirloom. Compassionate yet unflinching, Trauma Nation gives voice to what many feel but are unable to articulate, and shows us how we in India might heal ourselves, deal with mental health issues, and build a psychologically safer society.