How often do you hear people calling each other "psychopath"? Or how often do you witness people labelling themselves as "bipolar" or "depressed"? Quite frequently. Right? These are names of some serious, often life-threatening mental disorders which have been included in common vocabulary. Ayushi Jolly, a PhD scholar opined that "mental health disorders are not adjective to be thrown around."

Real Disorders With Real Affect On Life

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Today, many people who are organized and prioritize santitation and hygeine, label themselves as suffering from OCD. However, in psychology, OCD is a long-lasting disorder in which a person experiences uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions), engages in repetitive behaviours (compulsions), or both. This condition can significantly impair daily functioning, leading to severe anxiety and distress. Without proper treatment, it can escalate, affecting relationships, work, and overall quality of life.

Depression

"I am so depressed, I act like it's my birthday everyday," these are lyrics from a chart-topping Taylor Swift song. However, the singer-songwriter has never been diagnosed for the same. Similarly, people throw away the term even at the slightest discomfort. But, this mental health disorder is life-thretening, serious mood disorder. It causes severe symptoms that affect how a person feels, thinks, and handles daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. Note, to be diagnosed with depression, the symptoms must be present for at least 2 weeks.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Any person who is high on energy and gets distracted easily could be heard saying "I'm suffering from ADD." In reality, ADD is a type of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that's characterized by problems with concentration and focus. ADHD is a developmental disorder that can affect a person's daily life, including their ability to perform at school or work and their social relationships.

Bipolar Personality Disorder

Broke up with your partner? Chances are you'll end up calling them bipolar. The terms has also been used in various films and songs, sans the knowledge of it's seriousness. Formerly known as manic-depressive illness or manic depression, this condition is a lifelong mood disorder that causes intense shifts in mood, energy levels, thinking patterns and behavior. A person suffering from this disorder witnesses intense shifts in mood, energy levels, thinking patterns and behavior, for long periods of time.

Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD)

Being "paranoid" has become more like a negative adjective among teens and young adults. However, a person who suffers from this condition is incapable of maintaining succesful relationahips. Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD) is a group of personality disorders categorised under "Cluster A". A person with PPD thinks in odd or eccentric ways, and suffers from unrelenting mistrust or suspicion of others, even when there is no reason to be suspicious. This disorder usually begins in early adulthood and appears more common in men than women. People with PPD are always on guard, believing that others are constantly trying to demean, harm, or threaten them. People with this disorder also doubt the commitment, loyalty, or trustworthiness of others. PPD patients also might have difficulty relaxing.

Right now, days' stress no longer comes in bouts; bouts have been turned to a continual rhythm. Deadlines, working overtime, staring at computer screens, lack of sleep, and daily tensions, together with environmental pollution, have resulted in what physicians have started to call the "always stressed" generation. Things like cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone, which is linked to changes in female fertility, albeit subtly, are being blamed more and more nowadays.

Is cortisol making women infertile?

In an interview with Health and Me, Dr. Rubina Pandit, Fertility Specialist, Nova IVF Fertility, Basaveshwaranagar, spoke about the impact of cortisol on fertility in women.

Cortisol is a great help when the body is responding to stress. Among other functions, it regulates energy, metabolism, and immunity. The trouble begins with stress that is sustained for a long time and cortisol levels that remain high continuously. Then it starts to cause disruptions to reproductive health.

The latest studies conducted in 2025 and 2026 indicate that stress over a long period may affect the hormonal balance required for ovulation. A high level of cortisol also changes the brain signals that are responsible for the regulation of the ovaries and that can cause irregular periods or even absence of ovulation. In other words, chances for natural conception will be diminished if ovulation doesn't occur regularly.

More intriguingly, recent research has discovered some new findings about the impacts of stress on infertility. According to a 2026 study, cortisol hormone levels could modify the uterine environment and influence the genes that facilitate embryo attachment and development. In this case, the effect of stress could not only affect ovulation but also interfere with the successful growth of fertilised embryos.

Infertility and chronic stress: The link explained

Another area of study that researchers have focused on is the possible connection between infertility and chronic stress. Recent scientific studies suggest that women under constant stress have markers that signal reduced ovarian functioning. Moreover, prolonged stress is known to negatively affect sleep, libido, and even romantic relationships of couples.

That said, it is worth mentioning that stress is unlikely to be the only reason for infertility issues. However, stress usually exacerbates all other reproductive problems and makes them very hard to manage. The emotional load is, in fact, one of the least acknowledged side effects of stress. A lot of women who are treated for fertility issues complain about being stressed. And due to this stress, some of them even give up on their treatment. This is a direct indication that mental health and fertility work in tandem.

The main point is that fertility is more than just hormones or medical intervention; it is the overall well-being that matters. Changing stress levels by having good sleep, exercising regularly, practicing mindfulness, or even getting professional help can have a great impact. In a generation that is always switched on, learning how to slow down might be one of the most important steps toward improving fertility.

Vaccines are like insurance; they’re important for health as well as safe to take, said Dr NK Arora, the former Chairperson and currently a member of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization, NTAGI.

NTAGI is the highest advisory body on immunization in the country, which consists of independent experts who provide recommendations on vaccines after reviewing data on disease burden, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of vaccines.

As part of the ongoing World Immunization Week, Dr. Arora, the Executive Director of The INCLEN Trust International, spoke in an exclusive interview with HealthandMe on the importance of vaccines.

Comparing vaccines to insurance, Dr Arora highlighted the importance of immunization for both the young and the elderly. He emphasized that vaccines provide preventive protection against serious diseases, much like insurance offers financial security before a crisis occurs. He also underlined that timely immunization across all age groups is essential to reduce disease burden, prevent outbreaks, and ensure long-term public health safety.

“What I will say is that vaccination is like insurance. This is insurance for our health. And so it ensures the health of our children, ensures the health of our women, and pregnant women. It will ensure the health of our adolescents where the vaccination is going on,” said the expert.

The expert also urged people not to waste their time with anti-vaccine rumors and noted that vaccines, approved and given in the public health system, are safe and free of cost. These are initiated only after rigorous trials.

“Please do not hesitate to take the vaccine,” he said, adding that “vaccines are developed after extensive studies, both before it is first used in human beings and then again in human beings. And safety is something of paramount importance”.

He said people must get a vaccine, not when sick, but when we are in good health, and importantly urged the need to dispel myths around vaccines.

“I would like to assure all my readers that all the vaccines which are approved and given in the public health system are safe. Occasionally, you will hear some misinformation, some rumor, and this needs to be dispelled. If you are not very sure, please contact your physician, the nearest physician who looks after you and your family, and get clarifications from them. Rather than putting your weight on social media news and hearsay from neighbors and others, please get it. But I again assure you that all the vaccines available in India today are very safe”.

World Immunization Week

World Immunization Week is observed every year from April 24 to 30. The theme for 2026 is ‘For Every Generation, Vaccines Work.’

According to the WHO, vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives over the past 50 years.

"That’s 6 lives every minute, every day, for more than 5 decades," the WHO said.

Currently, more than 30 life-threatening diseases and infections are prevented by vaccines.

However, 20 million children missed at least one vaccine dose in 2024, leaving far too many at risk of preventable disease.

Vaccination in India: Progress with Gaps

In India, vaccines have played a significant role in improving public health. The country's immunization campaigns have been key to eradicating polio and smallpox. It has also eliminated yaws and maternal and neonatal tetanus in India. In addition, child mortality rates, measles-rubella, and tuberculosis have also been considerably reduced.

As per an official government statement, full immunization coverage has risen from 62 per cent in 2015 to 98.4 per cent in January 2026.

The percentage of zero-dose children to the total population has declined from 0.11 per cent in 2023 to 0.06 per cent in 2024.

However, gaps remain in child vaccination. These include:

Only 76.4 per cent of children (12–23 months) are fully vaccinated (NFHS-5)

India accounts for 6.4 per cent of global zero-dose children and 49.2 per cent in South Asia.

In 2024, 909,000 children remained unvaccinated, while 454,000 were partially vaccinated.

In a shocking case highlighting delayed diagnosis, a UK-based man visited doctors 24 times in a year for persistent back and leg pain but was repeatedly dismissed. He died just 12 days after being diagnosed with cancer.

The symptoms of 61-year-old Nigel began with lower back and leg pain. As the cancer spread across his body, he suffered from indigestion and severe weight loss. His doctors ignored his symptoms and could not even pinpoint the exact cancer till his death.

It was only a week after his death that the doctors were able to find that Nigel had pancreatic cancer — a type of cancer that often goes undiagnosed due to a lack of early detection tests, said his wife, Liv Williams, writing in an essay for Metro.co.uk.

“Nigel saw a healthcare professional 24 times, and even then, we didn't know it was pancreatic cancer. If something like the breath test had been available, maybe Nigel could have had treatment to give him more time with us,” Liv explained.

Also read: Former US Senator Ben Sasse Opens Up About Battle With Terminal Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer

Nigel, a father of three, began experiencing lower back and leg pain in early 2023. Liv said that his primary care doctor referred him to a physiotherapist, but the wait took months and his condition worsened. He also developed serious indigestion.

“From March to June, Nigel sought medical advice, and each time he was sent away, either empty-handed or with medication for pain or indigestion,” she said.

Thinking the pain must be related to a spinal issue, the family paid out-of-pocket for an MRI. The lumbar spine MRI scan revealed nothing.

"But what is it then?, we asked in frustration numerous times; always to be told it would get better on its own," Liv wrote in the essay.

By July, Nigel could not stand the pain, and Liv was forced to take him to the Emergency Room (ER).

“His painful leg was getting thinner and thinner, like it was wasting away, and the pain was unbearable,” she said. Nigel lost significant weight, struggled to eat, relied on crutches, and could not sleep due to constant pain.

“Just before Christmas, I demanded a blood test from his GP – but three weeks later, a few days before the scheduled tests, Nigel couldn't urinate, which left him in agony,” she added. A visit to the ER was unfruitful as they had to rush back due to his pain.

The next time they visited the hospital, Nigel "screamed with pain", and seeing this, "a nurse promptly set him up on a bed with an IV".

The next day, the doctors informed Liv that Nigel had cancer. But as it had metastasized so much that his doctors could not pinpoint the exact cancer.

In just 12 days on February 9, 2024, Nigel died surrounded by his family.

Also read: Benjamin Netanyahu Undergoes Treatment For Early-stage Prostate Cancer: Symptoms You Should Not Ignore

What Is Pancreatic Cancer? Know The Warning Signs

Pancreatic cancer has long been one of the toughest challenges in oncology. With a five-year survival rate hovering around 13 percent and recurrence rates approaching 80 percent after treatment, the odds have historically been stacked against patients.

The prevention and early detection remain vital.

Experts warn that pancreatic cancer often masquerades as common ailments, delaying diagnosis. Here are some early symptoms that should never be ignored:

• Abdominal or back pain that worsens over time or eases when leaning forward.
• Unexplained weight loss without changes in diet or exercise.
• Jaundice, including yellowing of the eyes and skin, sometimes with intense itching.
• Changes to urine or stool, such as dark urine or pale, greasy stools.
• New-onset diabetes without obvious risk factors.
• Persistent fatigue unrelated to poor sleep or lifestyle