Let’s be honest: therapy in India still has the reputation of being the last stop on the train to “madness.” If you told your parents you were seeing a therapist, there’s a good chance they’d ask if you were “alright” — and not in a caring way. We’ll happily tell everyone we have a cold, a cough, or a cholesterol problem, but the moment mental health enters the chat, the room suddenly goes quiet.
The “Be Strong” Culture
We were raised on a steady diet of “toughen up!” Crying? Weak. Feeling anxious? Overreacting. Depressed? Must be because you’re not grateful enough. Our fathers and grandfathers lived through wars, poverty, and Partition without ever once saying, “I’m not okay.” They buried their emotions so deeply that most of them couldn’t find them with a shovel. The idea of therapy for them was laughable — why talk about feelings when you can just get on with it?
Especially for men, emotions have been branded as weakness. Therapy is often treated as proof you can’t handle life, rather than proof you want to handle it better. Society’s favourite line? “It’s all in your head.” Which is ironic, because yes, it is in our head — that’s why we need help!
The Fear of the Couch
Therapy is scary for many because it’s been painted as a treatment for people who are “ill.” The word alone makes some people picture a hospital ward with white walls and straitjackets. The truth? Therapy is not a sign something is broken — it’s a sign you care enough about yourself not to let it break in the first place.
And in a world where loneliness and social media are already messing with our mental health, ignoring those feelings just makes the weight heavier.
But neglecting mental health has consequences. Keep bottling it all up, and one day, it all explodes — at work, at home, or on the people you love. Your unprocessed emotions don’t just harm you; they ripple outwards, affecting relationships and future generations too.
A New Chapter
Thankfully, things are changing. Millennials and Gen Z are making therapy part of their wellness routine, just like gym memberships and matcha lattes. We still have a long way to go, but every conversation helps. The more we talk about therapy in India, like we talk about getting a haircut, the less scary it becomes.
Because therapy isn’t weakness — it’s maintenance. And mental health isn’t a luxury. It’s survival.