Insights · by Dr. Sodhi
Essays on Cognitive Regulation
Clinical thinking in plain English — written for patients, peers and the curious.
13 May 2026 · 7 min read
Cognitive Regulation vs CBT vs ACT — what's actually different in the room
Three therapy acronyms, three different rooms. Here is what actually changes between them — without the marketing.
10 May 2026 · 6 min read
Grief without a script — what the first 90 days actually look like
Grief is not a five-stage staircase. It's a wave system. Knowing that changes what you ask of yourself in the first three months.
6 May 2026 · 6 min read
Functional alcohol use — when 'social drinking' became self-medication
The patients I worry about don't fit the cliché. They function beautifully. They also can't fall asleep without alcohol any more.
3 May 2026 · 7 min read
Adult ADHD in India — why it gets missed until your 30s
Most Indian adults with ADHD are diagnosed for the first time in their 30s — usually after a decade of being told they were just lazy, anxious or distracted.
29 April 2026 · 5 min read
Panic at the desk — a 90-second CR protocol you can run in a meeting
You can't excuse yourself from every meeting. Here's the 90-second sequence to bring panic down without anyone noticing.
26 April 2026 · 6 min read
The myth of 'just exercise more' — what actually moves depression numbers
Telling a depressed person to 'just exercise' is like telling a drowning person to swim. The right dose, in the right order, changes everything.
22 April 2026 · 6 min read
Sleep is a clinical intervention — what an Indian week of CR-aligned sleep looks like
You don't need a sleep tracker. You need seven specific decisions, repeated for two weeks. Here they are.
19 April 2026 · 7 min read
Why Indian high performers burn out earlier — the silent CR signs
By the time most high performers admit they are burning out, the burnout is already 18 months old. These are the earlier signs.
12 April 2026 · 6 min read
Childhood adversity and the adult mind — what your ACE score does and doesn't predict
Your ACE score is a probability, not a sentence. Here is what to do with it.
8 April 2026 · 7 min read
Which self-help tool to reach for, and when
Self-help tools are not interchangeable. The wrong tool at the wrong moment is at best useless, at worst counter-productive.
5 April 2026 · 6 min read
Burnout or depression — and why the screeners disagree
Burnout is a workplace problem with mood symptoms. Depression is a mood problem regardless of workplace. The treatment plan diverges sharply.
1 April 2026 · 5 min read
Trauma screening: when PC-PTSD-5 is enough, and when you need PCL-5
A 5-item brief screen and a full 20-item severity scale serve very different purposes. Picking the right one matters.
29 March 2026 · 6 min read
The postnatal mood screen, explained — when to take EPDS seriously
Postnatal mood is not 'just hormones'. The EPDS is the world's most-used screen for a reason — here is how to read it without panic and without dismissal.
25 March 2026 · 6 min read
Boundaries without being rude — the Indian context
Western boundary advice doesn't translate. Here's what actually works in an Indian family or workplace.
22 March 2026 · 5 min read
Anger is information — read it before you act on it
Anger is neither toxic nor virtuous. It's data. Most patients have been taught to do the wrong thing with it.
18 March 2026 · 5 min read
Perfectionism is not a strength
If 'I'm a perfectionist' is your standard interview answer, this essay is for you.
15 March 2026 · 6 min read
Men and mental health in India — the silent epidemic
Indian men have nearly three times the suicide rate of Indian women. The conditions killing them are highly treatable. So what's going wrong?
11 March 2026 · 5 min read
Five myths about therapy that keep Indians from getting help
Most reasons people give for not seeing a therapist are wrong. Here are the five I hear weekly, and what's actually true.
8 March 2026 · 7 min read
The Indian mental-health gap — and how we close it
We don't have a mental-health awareness problem any more. We have an access problem. They are not the same.
4 March 2026 · 5 min read
Exercise as medicine for the mind — the clinical dose
If exercise were a pill, every psychiatrist would prescribe it. The trouble is the dose — and most people are taking the wrong one.
1 March 2026 · 7 min read
Trauma and the body — what actually helps, beyond talking
Trauma lives in the body before it lives in the story. Treating only the story leaves half the work undone.
25 February 2026 · 6 min read
Medication for mental health — myths, facts, and when it actually helps
Medication isn't weakness and it isn't a magic switch. Here's what it really does — and how I decide whether to prescribe it.
22 February 2026 · 6 min read
Social media and the teenage mind — what parents need to know
The phone isn't the enemy. The pattern is. Here's the clinical view — and what actually helps Indian teens without starting a war.
18 February 2026 · 7 min read
Depression in India — what clinicians actually see
Indian depression rarely arrives saying 'I'm sad'. It arrives as fatigue, body pain, irritability, and a slow loss of interest no one notices.
15 February 2026 · 6 min read
Panic attacks explained — what's happening and how to stop one
A panic attack feels like a heart attack and ends like a wave. Here's how to ride it down — and stop the next one from owning you.
11 February 2026 · 4 min read
What to expect from a first consultation with me
Most patients arrive nervous. This is what the first hour looks like, so you can arrive a little less so.
8 February 2026 · 5 min read
Burnout is a system problem, not a willpower problem
If a holiday isn't fixing it, the problem isn't fatigue. It's a regulation pattern that needs rebuilding.
4 February 2026 · 6 min read
AI and the clinical encounter — what actually changes
An AI doesn't replace a clinician. But it can do something most clinicians can't: be available at 3 a.m. when the panic hits.
1 February 2026 · 5 min read
Sleep is the cheapest medicine — and the hardest to take
If you fix nothing else, fix your sleep first. Almost every mental-health intervention works better on a rested brain.
28 January 2026 · 6 min read
Anxiety is not a character flaw
If you've ever wondered why being a thoughtful person seems to come bundled with anxiety, this is for you.
25 January 2026 · 7 min read
What is Cognitive Regulation, really?
Most therapy asks you to think differently. Cognitive Regulation asks you to do something more powerful: change the conditions under which thoughts arise.