"Unrest and trauma stays with you!": Navigating mental health and professional service-seeking in Kashmir

Mental health well-being is a global concern, with disparities in treatment services being a challenge. Though, digital mental health interventions are proposed to bridge the gaps and supplement support and assistance. Yet, many individuals still struggle with mental health issues, particularly in regions encountering socio-political unrest, and face obstacles in seeking professional assistance. Situating our work in Kashmir, India, a region with a long history of socio-political unrest, we conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with participants seeking professional support to explore how individuals navigate mental health and professional help-seeking. Our findings identify the struggles in seeking support rooted in the context through socio-political and socio-cultural influences, strategies and methods adopted to navigate these struggles, and the role of technology in seeking support. Using a social-ecological approach to mental health care, we emphasize accounting for the socio-political realities that shape support-seeking in politically disturbed contexts and offer socio-technical design recommendations.