Rising acceptance of therapy among Gen Z challenges traditional Indian norms and accelerates mental health awareness

Saket Suman’s journey from personal crisis to mental health advocate highlights the growing openness among India’s youth to therapy, influenced by social media and a shift in cultural perceptions, prompting calls for stronger regulation and accessible support.

Saket Suman’s path into therapy began with personal crisis. In his late teens and early twenties, he struggled with depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal thoughts, and says several rounds of psychiatric treatment did little to ease the situation. He later found that talking to a therapist gave him the first sense of being genuinely understood. That experience, he says, changed both his recovery and his career, eventually leading him to train as a psychologist and to build a practice centred on emotional regulation, self-awareness and long-term wellbeing.

Suman now says he treats mental health as something that extends far beyond therapy sessions alone. He describes a routine built around sleep, exercise, diet, breathing work, mindfulness, journalling and poetry, alongside the effort to stay socially connected and grounded. He also says he still sees the same therapist he first turned to in his darkest period, both to manage his own stress and to stay accountable in his professional life. His broader message is that emotional skills can be learned, and that many forms of suffering are preventable with the right support.

His comments come as Gen Z becomes increasingly open to therapy, even as mental health concerns remain high. The Economic Times recently reported a sharp rise in counselling use among workers aged 20 to 25, while Business Standard said workplace mental health support has surged across corporate India, with younger employees driving much of the growth. Psychowellness Centre has also argued that young adults in the National Capital Region are seeking help earlier than previous generations, reflecting greater awareness and the pressures of digital life, study and careers. Suman sees social media as a major factor, saying young people are growing up under relentless comparison, constant bad news and a flood of advice that can distort identity and deepen anxiety.

He is equally blunt about why therapy still meets resistance in India. In his view, it is not a foreign intrusion but part of a long Indian tradition of practices such as yoga, meditation and breathwork that have been reframed through modern clinical language. He argues that therapy can challenge social norms that normalise emotional abuse, sexism and caste-based or family hierarchies, which is why it is embraced by those trying to break generational cycles and dismissed by those invested in preserving them. Alongside greater awareness, he says India needs stronger regulation, better public understanding and more scrutiny of unqualified people using therapy jargon without proper training. Community-based organisations such as Sangath and Saarthak are already working to expand access to mental health care, while clinics like Mindful Centre in Delhi point to the growing demand for professional support across age groups.