Photo Courtesy: Image by Tyli Jura from Pixabay | For representational purpose only
Morung Express News
Mokokchung | August 7
Mokokchung’s growing concerns around stress, depression, addiction and severe mental illness are drawing attention to a critical gap in the district’s health-care system: there is no resident psychiatrist.
For many residents, especially young people and families facing financial hardship, academic pressure, unemployment or substance abuse, mental-health support is either unavailable, difficult to access or delayed by stigma. Those requiring specialised psychiatric care often have to wait for visiting doctors or travel outside the district.
Recent surveys conducted by First Rain Foundation point to the scale of the concern. A 2025 youth mental-health baseline survey involving around 600 respondents found that more than half had experienced stress or anxiety. Nearly one in three reported symptoms of depression, while more than half said they had no mental-health support.
The survey also found that 17.3% of respondents reported having attempted self-harm or suicide. Although the findings are based on survey respondents and are not a district-wide clinical estimate, they reveal the level of emotional distress being experienced by many young people.
A community needs assessment conducted by the organisation in 2026 among 141 respondents reflected similar worries. Unemployment, emotional distress and substance abuse were repeatedly identified as major challenges.
The findings indicate that mental-health issues in Mokokchung cannot be viewed separately from the social and economic realities of people’s lives. A young person struggling to find employment may also be dealing with anxiety and low confidence. A student under academic pressure may not have a safe space to talk about emotional distress. A family affected by addiction may face financial strain, stigma and relationship breakdown at the same time.
“Mental health struggles should not become the reason someone stops dreaming, stops studying, stops working, stops loving, or stops believing they have something meaningful to contribute,” First Rain Foundation Director Lanusenla Jamir said.
The challenge is made more serious by stigma. Many people still hesitate to seek professional help because they fear being labelled, misunderstood or judged. Some families may regard mental illness as a personal weakness, a lack of faith or a private matter that should not be discussed openly.
As a result, people can remain untreated until their condition becomes severe.
The monthly mental-health camp run by First Rain Foundation in partnership with the Mental Illness Treatment Alliance (MITA), an initiative of Action Northeast Trust (ANT), has attempted to bridge part of this care gap. The camp brings psychiatrists from outside Mokokchung, along with counselling and follow-up support, closer to people who may otherwise be unable to access treatment. The camp completed one year on August 7.
Over the past year, 78 individuals between the ages of 16 and 85 have sought help through the camp. The number may appear small in comparison with the district’s wider need, but each person represents a decision to overcome fear, stigma and uncertainty in order to seek care.
One participant, who has lived with schizophrenia for 13 years, said he had previously struggled with alcohol and cannabis use, hallucinations and a lack of understanding about his illness. After attending the camp and receiving treatment, he said he had stopped using alcohol and drugs, was sleeping more peacefully and had begun to recognise that the voices he heard were symptoms of his condition.
Another participant receiving support for anxiety described years of panic attacks, repeated emergency-room visits, insomnia, dizziness and fear of crowded places. She said that regular counselling, medical guidance, phone calls and home visits from the team helped her understand her condition and slowly regain confidence.
Their accounts show that mental-health treatment involves more than medication. Recovery can depend on whether a person has access to accurate information, regular follow-up, family support and an environment where they are treated with dignity.
Jamir described this wider support system as a community’s “psychological infrastructure”—the conditions created in homes, schools, churches and workplaces that determine whether people feel safe enough to speak, struggle and seek help.
“When this infrastructure is strong, people ask for help earlier. Families recognise illness sooner. Teachers notice when a student begins to withdraw,” she said.
The absence of that support can have serious consequences. Shame grows, treatment is delayed and people can become isolated long before they receive care.
Dr Mintu Moni Sarma, Team Lead of MITA, said mental-health care must not be seen as the responsibility of psychiatrists and medical professionals alone. Community organisations, families, schools, faith leaders and local institutions all have an important role to play.
ANT began its community-based mental-health programme in Assam in 2007, at a time when stigma and lack of access prevented many people from seeking treatment. The MITA network was established in 2017 to expand the model. It now operates in 33 locations across Northeast India and Bihar.
Sarma said the first camps in Assam sometimes saw only a few patients, and some communities were openly hesitant to accept psychiatric treatment. Over time, however, people who received respectful care began encouraging others to seek help.
The same pattern is visible in Mokokchung. Organisers said the growth of the camp has come not only through public announcements, but also through people telling friends, neighbours and relatives that treatment is available.
All India Radio Mokokchung has also helped spread information about the camps through weekly broadcasts. Volunteers, counsellors and visiting psychiatrists have supported the programme, while reduced consultation and medicine costs have made care more accessible for families with limited resources.
However, the larger issue remains: a monthly camp cannot meet every mental-health need in a district without a resident psychiatrist or a fully developed support system.
The need is for earlier recognition, regular treatment, stronger referral systems and a community culture that does not force people to choose between silence and care. Schools need to notice students who are withdrawing; families need to understand that emotional pain is real; workplaces need to treat employees as people rather than only as workers; and churches and other community spaces need to offer compassion without judgment.
The response to Mokokchung’s mental-health challenges will therefore depend on more than expanding services. It will depend on whether the community can make conversations about anxiety, depression, addiction and psychiatric illness as normal as conversations about physical health.
For people who are struggling, asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is often the first—and most difficult—step towards recovery.
