What’s Troubling Her? Treating women’s mental health in Afghanistan

A 26-year-old psychologist, Mehriya Qadiri, treats young women as a mental health crisis unfolds across Afghanistan.

Psychologist Mehriya Qadiri is in a unique position in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. When the Taliban returned to power and banned women from attending university, Mehriya was unable to finish her bachelor’s degree. However, due to the shortage of mental health professionals, she has been allowed to continue her training and work treating patients, both men and women, in hospital and private practice. For Mehriya, business is sadly booming, mostly because the number of girls and women excluded from society, work and education are queueing up for professional help. Mehriya is overworked and alarmed by the cases of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts she has to deal with on a daily basis. What’s Troubling Her is a documentary film by Najibulla Quraishi and Mike Healy.