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Mental health words
in Urdu, explained
38 words people search for, from anxiety and overthinking to gaslighting and psychologist, with the Urdu term, a plain explanation, and where to read more.
- Terms
- 38 explained
- Languages
- English · Urdu · Roman
- Written by
- Zahid Sohail, psychologist
- Reviewed
- 30 Sep 2026
Anxiety in Urdu is bechaini or iztirab, depression is afsurdagi, stress is zehni dabao, overthinking is zyada sochna, and a psychologist is a mahir-e-nafsiyat. This page explains 38 common mental health and relationship words in plain English with their Urdu and Roman Urdu equivalents. It is general information, not a diagnosis.
How it feels
Feelings and conditions
Anxiety
The body's alarm system switching on when there is no real danger: racing heart, tight chest, worry that will not stop. Common and very treatable.
Anxiety counselingPanic attack
A sudden wave of intense fear with pounding heart, breathlessness and a sense of doom, usually peaking within ten minutes. Frightening but not dangerous in itself.
Anxiety counselingDepression
Low mood, emptiness or loss of interest most of the day for two weeks or more, often with changes in sleep, appetite and energy. Different from ordinary sadness.
Depression counselingStress
Worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. It affects both mind and body, and becomes a problem when it does not ease.
Stress counselingOverthinking
Getting stuck replaying the past or rehearsing the future without reaching a decision. It feels like problem-solving but goes in circles.
Anxiety counselingBurnout
Long-term exhaustion, usually from work or caring, where rest no longer restores you and you feel detached and ineffective.
Burnout signsTrauma
The lasting effect of a frightening or overwhelming experience, such as violence, an accident or sudden loss, on how a person feels and reacts.
Trauma counselingPTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder: flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance and feeling constantly on guard long after a traumatic event.
Trauma supportOCD
Obsessive compulsive disorder: unwanted, distressing thoughts together with repeated actions such as checking or washing, done to relieve the anxiety.
Anxiety counselingIntrusive thoughts
Unwanted thoughts or images that pop into the mind, often about things we care about most. Having them does not mean you want them.
Anxiety counselingGrief
The emotional response to loss, especially death. It comes in waves and follows no fixed order or timeline.
Grief counselingLoneliness
Feeling unseen or disconnected, which can happen even among family or in a marriage.
Depression counselingLow self-esteem
A consistently low opinion of yourself: harsh self-criticism, difficulty saying no and discounting praise. It often starts in childhood.
Self-esteem counselingInsomnia
Regular difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early, which affects how you feel and function in the day.
Anxiety counselingAnger issues
Anger that is frequent, out of proportion, or harms relationships, work or safety.
Anger management counselingMood swings
Noticeable shifts in mood over hours or days. Common with stress, hormones and poor sleep; worth checking with a professional if extreme or persistent.
Psychologist or psychiatristBipolar disorder
A condition with periods of very low mood and periods of unusually high energy or elation. It needs assessment and usually treatment by a psychiatrist.
Psychologist or psychiatristPostpartum depression
Depression in the weeks or months after giving birth, lasting longer and deeper than the short-lived 'baby blues'.
Depression counselingSocial anxiety
Intense fear of being judged or embarrassed in social situations, strong enough to cause avoidance and distress.
Anxiety counselingPhobia
An intense fear of a specific thing or situation, such as heights or injections, far out of proportion to the real danger.
Anxiety counselingSuicidal thoughts
Thoughts of ending one's life. They are a sign of severe pain and need support straight away. In Pakistan call Umang on 0311 7786264 or Rescue 1122.
Helplines in PakistanSelf-harm
Hurting oneself on purpose, often to cope with overwhelming feelings. It deserves compassionate, prompt support, not blame.
Where to get helpBetween people
Relationships and family
Emotional abuse
A repeated pattern of control through fear, humiliation, isolation or threats. Different from ordinary arguments because it is one-sided.
Relationship counselingGaslighting
Making someone doubt their own memory or perception: 'that never happened', 'you are imagining it'. A common feature of emotional abuse.
Relationship counselingNarcissist
Someone with a pattern of needing admiration and lacking empathy. The clinical diagnosis is made only by a professional; the word is often overused.
Relationship counselingToxic relationship
A relationship that repeatedly leaves you feeling smaller, anxious or unsafe, rather than supported.
Relationship counselingTrust issues
Difficulty believing others are honest or reliable, often after betrayal, childhood experiences or anxiety.
Relationship counselingBoundaries
Limits you set on what you will accept from others, and communicate kindly and consistently, including with family.
Family counselingSilent treatment
Refusing to speak to someone for long periods after conflict, with no stated end. It damages marriages even without shouting.
The silent treatmentCodependency
Losing yourself in meeting another person's needs, to the point your own needs and feelings disappear.
Self-esteem counselingGetting support
Help and treatment
Mental health
How we think, feel, cope and relate to others. Like physical health, it can be good, strained or unwell, and it can be looked after.
Online counselingPsychologist
A professional trained in psychology who helps through talking therapy. Psychologists do not prescribe medication.
Psychologist or psychiatristPsychiatrist
A medical doctor specialising in mental health who can diagnose and prescribe medication.
Which one do I need?Counseling
Structured conversation with a trained professional to understand a problem and find practical ways forward.
How sessions workPsychotherapy
Talking treatment for mental health difficulties, often over several sessions. Counseling is one form of it.
Does counseling work?CBT
Cognitive behavioural therapy: a well-researched talking approach that works on the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
Does online therapy work?Confidentiality
What you say in counseling stays private, within limits explained at the start, such as serious risk to life.
Is counseling confidential?Diagnosis
A professional's identification of a condition after assessment. You do not need a diagnosis to start counseling.
Psychologist or psychiatristQuestions, answered
Questions people ask.
What is anxiety called in Urdu?
Anxiety is usually called bechaini or iztirab in Urdu (بے چینی، اضطراب). People often describe it as dil ghabrana or ghabrahat.
What is depression called in Urdu?
Depression is commonly called depression or afsurdagi (افسردگی) in Urdu. It means low mood or loss of interest lasting two weeks or more, not ordinary sadness.
What is the Urdu word for psychologist?
A psychologist is a mahir-e-nafsiyat (ماہر نفسیات). A psychiatrist, who is a medical doctor, is a mahir-e-amraz-e-nafsiyat (ماہر امراض نفسیات).
What does overthinking mean in Urdu?
Overthinking is zyada sochna (زیادہ سوچنا): getting stuck replaying the past or worrying about the future without reaching a decision.
What is emotional abuse called in Urdu?
Emotional abuse is called jazbati zulm or zehni tashaddud (جذباتی زیادتی، ذہنی تشدد): a repeated pattern of control through fear, humiliation or isolation.
A word is a starting point
Knowing the name for what you feel can be a relief. It is not a diagnosis. If any of these words describe what you have been living with for weeks, talking to a professional helps you understand it and decide what to do next.
Written by psychologist Zahid Sohail (MSc and PGD Applied Psychology, 15+ years in practice). Last reviewed . If you are in danger, see helplines in Pakistan.
Name it, then talk about it.
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