International graduate students at the University of Mississippi describe trying to manage low stipends, costly housing, limited transportation, heavy research workloads, family obligations, and social isolation. Through the experiences of students from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and Iran, the story also examines heightened anxiety over visa restrictions, ICE enforcement, and changing federal policies. University staff explain efforts to provide support and press for higher stipends, but students remain financially constrained and uncertain about their futures. The piece portrays the pursuit of an American education as an exhausting cycle of work and sacrifice, with some students determined to return home and others feeling they have few options.

Sex workers in Bangladesh report trauma, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and violence, while stigma and fear for their families make it difficult to seek support. Despite documented need, government health programmes cited in the story focus on physical health, and officials confirm there are no dedicated government projects for sex workers’ mental healthcare. NGOs also provide little specialized support; limited counselling exists in some brothels, but counsellors serve large populations and several organizations have no mental-health programmes. Experts call for more research and multidisciplinary teams, including psychological and psychiatric care, while workers describe mental-health services as unavailable.