A Psychiatrist’s story: Stigma to Purpose

by | Apr 19, 2026 | Newsletter

**This newsletter & YouTube episode includes discussion of suicide and mental health struggles. If you are in immediate danger or need urgent support, call or text 988 (U.S.) or contact local emergency services. If you are outside the U.S., contact your local crisis line.This content is educational and not a substitute for personal mental health care.**

BEFORE PSYCHIATRY, THERE WAS SILENCE

There are a few reasons I chose psychiatry, but if I’m being honest, it started long before medical school.

I grew up in a South Asian family where mental health was not something we talked about openly. There was stigma. Silence. A sense that you should push through, keep it moving, and not make it a “thing.” Even as a kid, something about that didn’t sit right with me. I was always drawn to introspection, and I felt this quiet pull to understand what people carry beneath the surface.

GRIEF, STIGMA, AND A TURNING POINT

Then, during medical school, my uncle died by suicide. He was the first person in my family to pass away, and it hit all of us hard. What stayed with me was not only the grief, but how difficult it was for my family, and our broader community, to even hold the truth of what happened. The stigma made everything heavier. And in that moment, I knew I wanted to be part of changing that.

LIVING BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

Today, I feel a strong connection to immigrant patients, especially first- and second-generation individuals who are living between two worlds. When your parents grew up somewhere else and you’re building your life here, it can create real tension, confusion, and pressure. Anxiety, depression, and trauma can show up in ways people don’t always recognize, and for a long time there hasn’t been enough space to process it.

TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS

That’s also why I’m drawn to working with trauma histories, and with adolescents and young adults. That season of life matters. There is so much learning happening. And if I can help someone feel supported during that chapter, it can change the trajectory of everything that follows. Part of me is doing the work I wish someone could have done for me back then.

Aysha Mushtaq, MD