What made Gen Z and millennials take the taboo lid off mental health?

The indifference towards mental health was perilously massive amongst the previous generations. What changed with Gen Z and millennials?

Dismissing mental illnesses as fads or worse, “just a phase”, inhumanely attaching stigma and prejudice that dissuade people from seeking professional help, and using inconsiderate language to further trivialise a mental disorder, conversations around mental health have, for decades, been had through an unempathetic lens. While stigma is difficult to eradicate overnight, today, mental health is progressively becoming a normal matter of discussion in everyday chatter.   

According to a nationwide survey commissioned by Deepika Padukone’s mental health charitable organisation Live Love Laugh in 2021, 96 per cent of the respondents were aware of the concept of mental health as compared to 87 per cent in 2018—a sharp incline in just three years. Additionally, 65 per cent of the respondents reported acquiring knowledge about mental illnesses via social media. Friends posed as the second major source of mental health discovery—56 per cent of the respondents attributed their awareness to friends. Collectively, these statistics are indicative of a common conclusion: the acquaintance with mental illness is augmenting, with more conversations catering to the subject than ever before. So, what has caused this shift? The generational perception towards mental health. And, how did this change come about? We speak to psychologists to find out.

From obliviousness to acceptance

When the National Mental Health Survey of India released its report in 2016, several red flags were disdained. According to the survey, subjects falling in the age bracket of 40 to 49 years (presently, Gen X) were predominantly affected by psychotic disorders such as bipolar affective disorders, depression, and stress. Additionally, the prevalence of substance use-related disorders was highest in the 50–59 years age group, or Boomers. These revelations are suggestive of a graver plight—the classification of mental illness as a taboo, that was the norm for the previous generations. 

Call it stigma or simply having no knowledge, the indifference towards mental health was perilously amongst the generations of our parents and grandparents. Seeking therapy for major mental illnesses was not half as common as rushing to a local physician in the event of a minor flu. It, therefore, doesn’t come as a surprise that an overly populated country like India houses merely 56,600 psychiatric beds while the ideal number is estimated to be 6.5 lakh. Carina Kolhi, founder and CEO of Humm Care, points out an interesting census. “The American Psychiatric Association released a report in 2019 based on stress levels in America, and it was found that Gen Z and millennials were more likely to acknowledge stressors and go to therapy than Gen X and Baby Boomers—essentially 37 per cent of Gen Z and 35 per cent of millennials as compared to 26 per cent of Gen X and 22 per cent of Boomers.” 

According to Dr Prerna Kohli, a clinical psychologist and the founder of MindTribe, “Mental health has historically been a taboo subject due to factors including cultural beliefs, lack of awareness, and stigma. In many cultures, mental health issues were often misunderstood and associated with shame or weakness. People feared being judged or ostracised if they admitted to mental health struggles. This led to silence and avoidance, preventing open conversations and seeking help.” Along the same lines, celebrity yoga instructor Anshuka Parwani talks about how households, conventionally, weren’t conducive spaces to discuss mental health openly. “Families would discourage open conversations about mental health, perhaps, worrying about the person getting targeted, and this pattern followed as a society, as a culture, leading to fear-mongering and misconceptions around mental health.” 

“I feel the ‘if it cannot be seen, it doesn’t exist’ trope plays a big role here,” begins Kaira Mehra*, a journalist in her 30s. “It took years for everyone to understand that mental health is not an ‘excuse’. ” Rather than looking at mental health disorders as a medical condition, they are often looked at from the lens of superstition, karma, or personal failure, highlights Janvi Rathore, a therapist with The Mood Space. The aforementioned survey by Live Love Laugh corroborates her theory as “one-fourth of the participants believed that evil spirits cause mental illness”.

Social media and pop culture augmenting mental health literacy

There’s something beyond Shah Rukh Khan’s charming portrayal of an unconventional therapist that made Gauri Shinde’s Dear Zindagi one of a kind—a nuanced depiction of mental health struggles not seen before in mainstream Bollywood. Of course, we’ve seen characters in films such as Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, Karthik Calling Karthik, and Gehraiyaan, but the 2016 release, also featuring Alia Bhatt, was a simple yet successful attempt to normalise therapy and acknowledge your inner battles. 

In real life, celebrities like Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma spoke about their mental health vulnerabilities with depression and anxiety respectively back in 2015, when doing so wasn’t considered “cool”, at least in India. Internationally, celebrities like Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé have broken stereotypes by opening up about their mental illnesses. Millennials and Gen Z, two demographics that follow this set of celebrities and consume their content closely, thus, don’t typically feel alienated towards mental health.

Make-up artist Natasha Moor, founder of her eponymous beauty brand, attributes the improved mental health cognisance to social media. For her, it acts as a vehicle for all the necessary information—from symptoms to contacts of therapists—at your fingertips. “The growing implementation of mental health education and schemes at schools, colleges, and workplaces is a result of the awareness about the subject—and celebrities and social media have a big role to play.”

“Social media has played a key role in shaping awareness, making things accessible and normalised to a great extent,” says Deepti Chandy, a therapist an & Chief Operating Officer at Anna Chandy & Associates. “The youth—the largest segment of social media consumers—are, therefore, much more open [to discussing mental health] and actively seek therapy.”

Speaking of Gen Z in particular, Hansika Kapoor, a psychotherapist at Monk Prayogshala, says, “This is the first generation in human history to be born into a techno-centric world. With this access to technology comes access to online communities, peers, conversations, and networks on a range of topics, including mental health care. In my practice, I've noted a marked uptick when it comes to Gen Z clients seeking therapy. Some may want to take therapy ‘because all their friends are in therapy’, whereas others are more attuned to their mental health needs and realise that seeking help is not taboo in urban India any more.”

Acknowledging and embracing your individuality—innate to most Gen Z and millennials—comes as a package deal; if you’re ungovernable, you’re also extremely aware of your struggles and pain points. “Gen Z and millennials, in my experience, are quite sure of what they want and don’t want,” shares Nandy. “Generally, they have an attitude of openness and are much more straightforward when it comes to discussing what they’re experiencing, and that shift has helped. Over the years, people have realised that talking about things instead of carrying baggage is important.” Carina Kohli adds, “Over the decades, as the stigma around mental health has decreased, people have become proactive about their health, leading to an openness to therapy and seeking help.”

Why open communication is key

“The minute someone talks about therapy or normalises it, it gives other people agency to talk about it,” shares Nandy. “So, discuss mental health openly—any conversation, however small, makes a difference.” In India, between 1990 and 2017, one in every seven people suffered from at least one mental illness. “While we, as a society, still have a long way to go when it comes to mental health, there is no denying the fact that psychological well-being has become a common topic. People now recognise how disturbed inner peace can affect all facets of life, because there is no running away from a mental health issue,” says Rathore.

“I come from a family where we have been strong as a unit, but individually everyone struggled for one reason or the other. It used to baffle me to see how that struggle with mental health was never dealt with but showed up in so many negative ways. As I grew up, I realised that it’s the same with me but the only way it can be different is by taking help and letting my family know that I’m taking help and that it’s okay to do so,” shares Mehra*. “I feel being open is being positive; you never know where it’s impacting people. Also, talking about it with others makes you realise how far you’ve come.”

Enumerating the benefits of being open about mental health concerns, Parwani says, “You not only foster a harmonious environment for the society collectively but, as a result, will also notice better overall health, more productivity, and a stronger sense of community.” Being candid about your struggles helps you identify an environment that is supportive of your healing and growth. “Being honest and talking about our mental health concerns is what makes us more human, more relatable [to others around us].”

*Name changed upon request. 

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