Is Therapy really just a Gen-Z Trend??

- Debangshi

 Once hushed about behind closed doors, the concept of therapy and mental health has now entered the spotlight, especially with Gen Z wearing emotional awareness like a badge of honour. But as self-care affirmations fill social media feeds, a quiet question arises: are we witnessing an authentic shift towards emotional well-being, or has mental health become yet another lifestyle trend? Psychological health has never been at the centre of attention like it is today, with “Therapy Thursdays,” “Self-care Sundays,” and endless clips of people sharing their ‘healing era’ on social platforms. While Gen Z doesn’t shy away from naming their struggles like previous generations did, among all these pastel therapy journals, there’s another side to the story. When therapy talk becomes so common and casual, what happens to the people who are actually suffering? When mental health comes with the pressure to be “AESTHETIC” complemented by mood boards and a soothing playlist — does real pain become a performance?

Some people now hesitate to open up because they fear being dismissed as performing for attention. And here lies the sad irony: while visibility of pain was supposed to be the whole point, now the same movement is making pain obscure.

But maybe Gen Z’s true wisdom lies in learning to tell the difference between superficial wellness and true healing. At the end of the day, there are still countless young people sitting in therapy rooms, facing their fears — not for the sake of a trend, but to live healthily. Yes, in some ways, mental health has become a trend. But trends fade; healing doesn’t. The real challenge now is to make the concept of emotional health more *humane*, not fashionable. In the long run, being frank about despair is not a trend — it’s courageous. And courage will never go out of style.