Many people have given to this book; no list can be complete.
To the teachers, clinicians and researchers whose work is summarised here, and to the public-health bodies whose open pages make plain-language education possible: the World Health Organization, national mental-health institutes, hospital and university departments, and the volunteer support services that answer the phone at night.
To the authors of the classical works quoted in these pages, from the Upaniṣads, the Gītā, the Yogasūtra and the Rāmāyaṇa to the Caraka Saṃhitā and the bhakti poets, whose lines have outlived every textbook and are still read to the sick and the grieving.
To my elder sister, Anuradha Chaudhary, whose conversations about psychology at our home started all this; to the friends from many Indian states and other countries who sat in that circle; and to my wife, Dr. Poonam Zope, a doctor and psychiatrist, at whose kitchen table almost every difficult page was argued, checked and made kinder.
To the readers, relatives and clinicians who sent corrections, stories and encouragement; a book that claims to serve the world should be willing to be improved by it.
And to the old tradition of vidyā-dāna, which taught that to give knowledge is the highest giving, and which is the reason this book is free.
This book is for education and general awareness. It does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a qualified professional. If anyone is in danger, contact your local emergency services.