India : According to available estimates, nearly 70% of students in India suffer from moderate to high levels of anxiety, while 60% show signs of depression and more than 70% experience elevated distress. Experts say that intense competition and a hustle culture that clashes with older workplace norms are driving the strain. Yet high therapy costs and fear of judgement keep many young Indians from seeking formal help.
Psychologists say behind those growing numbers is, in fact, a stack of pressures. Admissions and entry-level hiring are fiercely competitive, and the stakes feel existential. Early smartphone access has added a second burden, as heavy social media use is linked to disrupted sleep, body image concerns and a peculiar loneliness of being constantly connected yet unseen.
“These young people are not weaker than previous generations,” says Dr. Pavitra Shankar, Associate Consultant, Psychiatry at Aakash Healthcare Superspecially Hospital. “They are carrying a heavier invisible load. Earlier, you compared yourself with the neighbour’s child. Today you compare yourself with thousands of curated lives before breakfast. The brain was never designed for that.”
Gen Z is also challenging the old workplace bargain. Where earlier generations equated long hours with loyalty and achievement, many young professionals reject that formula, creating friction with senior colleagues and rigid corporate cultures.
Dr. Minakshi Manchanda, Associate Director & Head – Psychiatry,Asian Hospital said, “When a 23-year-old says they want boundaries, it is sometimes read as laziness.” “However, it is the opposite. These are driven young people who have realised that burnout is not a badge of honour. The system has not caught up with them, and neither have many of their families.”
That gap often plays out at the dinner table. Many students describe parents who are loving but dismissive: “What do you have to be stressed about?” The result, therapists say, is that young people hide distress behind jokes, memes and productivity.
The encouraging news is that stigma, while far from gone, is easing. Words like “anxiety,” “burnout” and “boundaries” have entered everyday speech among young Indians. But awareness has not translated into care. In one survey, 77% of respondents found therapy expensive, and fear of judgment still keeps many from walking into a clinic. Mental health professionals remain scarce relative to India’s population and are concentrated in big cities.
“We have made progress in conversation, but not in infrastructure,” said Dr Santosh Chavan, Consultant – Mental Health, Jupiter Hospital, Pune. “A young person in a small town may understand exactly what they are feeling and still have no one nearby to turn to, or no money to pay for a session. Awareness without access can even deepen despair, because you know you need help and cannot reach it.”
Experts agree that solutions must work at several levels. Dr. Pavitra Shankar urges families to listen before advising. “Say ‘tell me more’ before you say ‘don’t worry,'” he suggests. Dr. Minakshi Manchanda wants colleges and employers to treat counselling as basic infrastructure rather than a perk, with services that are confidential, affordable, and easy to reach. Dr. Santosh Chavan calls for more community-based and digital options, and for “training teachers, managers and peers to spot warning signs such as withdrawal, changes in sleep or a sudden drop in performance”.
Small habits matter too, they say: protecting sleep, setting limits on late-night scrolling, and keeping at least one friend with whom you can be honest.
That, experts say, is where change begins. “Young Indians are not asking to be shielded from pressure; they only want to be heard, and to be able to afford help when they ask for it”, added Dr. Pavitra Shankar.
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