Not long ago, the term mental health barely existed in people’s vocabulary. I remember mental health being whispered about and how people denied its importance altogether.

When someone felt overwhelmed, anxious, or low, society labeled it as weakness and dismissed it as "all in the head".

However, I am proud to see that today the narrative is shifting and people are slowly bringing the topic into the spotlight. The world of media encourages conversations about struggles, therapy, burnout and self‑care. By choosing relatable media such as memes, reels and digital content, the younger generation has turned mental health into an unavoidable conversation.. But the big question remains, “Is it enough?”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” However, people often fail to realize that the absence of a disorder does not guarantee mental wellness.

I believe that mental health goes beyond the presence or absence of illness as it includes a person’s psychological and social well‑being, which affects how we think, feel and interact with the world.

In a developing country like Nepal, where the load of non-communicable and communicable illnesses is already heavy, the mental health of people often stays on the sidelines. But within a short span, people have started to see mental health as a real part of overall health, which I consider a partial success. But recognizing and acting on mental health are not the same. Not all households are same, and homes still exist where talking about well-being brings looks and frowns worry and young people try to open up to the families are met with: "Samaj le ke sochla?" – what will the society think?

The truth is that the world moves forward whether society approves or not. Mental health has come a long way, from being a word continuously stigmatized by society to being talked about openly, it’s evident that the walls built by generations are cracking slowly.

The movement has begun and voices are growing louder. Gen-Z has started the conversation, and now it’s up to all of us to keep it going as believe it or not, breaking a taboo doesn’t happen in one day, it happens one honest conversation at a time.’

About the author

Sankalpa Gautam is a 2nd year MBBS student currently studying at Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences. He has interests in topics regarding mental health and through this article, he hopes to share his perspective and contribute meaningfully to ongoing discussions around mental well-being.