Madhu Chopra on how daughter Priyanka Chopra changed after being stalked: ‘Stopped wearing western clothes in Bareilly’

“I don’t know what conversation they had. The next day, she came back from school and said she wanted to go shopping. I took her and she selected such dull and drab clothes… all salwar kurtas. She selected colours like off white, brown, beige to look dull. After that, she did not put on western clothes in Bareilly,” said Madhu.

The psychological impact of stalking

According to Tinby Thomas, psychologist at Mpower Aditya Birla Education Trust, stalking can have a deep psychological impact, especially on young women in India’s socio-cultural landscape.

While physical signs of distress include fatigue, stomach issues, and headaches, the mental impact is often severe. “People feel powerless as they have little control over the stalker’s actions. They live in constant fear and stress over a possible repeat of the incident,” Thomas told indianexpress.com.

“Anxiety, mood swings, and prolonged stress are common, and these can develop into chronic anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” she said.

A lasting effect on trust and relationships

Thomas also pointed out that stalking alters the way victims think, often leading to a loss of trust in others. Personal relationships suffer, as victims struggle to feel safe even around friends, partners, or colleagues. “This results in feelings of isolation. Victims also tend to blame themselves, feel humiliated and guilty that somehow they are responsible for the stalker’s actions,” she said.

“More often than not, they adopt unhealthy coping strategies such as embracing self-harming practices like taking up smoking, misusing liquor, drugs and, in a few cases, having self-destructive thoughts,” said Thomas.

According to her, victims also display signs of getting quickly distracted, show lowered concentration levels and a lowered ability to center themselves.