"Is my culture influencing me?": Client experiences of mental illness and psychotherapy in a transitional Indian culture.

This article investigates the experiences of mental illness and psychotherapy among urban Indians, highlighting the influence of a "transitional culture" shaped by globalization, urbanization, and the interplay of Western and traditional Indian values. Through semi-structured interviews with ten cis-gender, educated urban Indian adults, the study identifies key themes including the lived experience of mental health, help-seeking thresholds, skepticism toward alternative healing, the role of social support, and the nuanced acceptance of cultural identity. Findings reveal that while participants show increased awareness and acceptance of Western-style psychotherapy, they often experience unmet expectations, desire a more relational and humanized therapeutic approach (including therapist self-disclosure), and navigate tensions between familial/cultural pressures and personal treatment choices. The study underscores the need for culturally sensitive, integrative psychotherapy models that balance evidence-based Western methods with relational and cultural adaptations tailored to individual client needs within India’s evolving cultural context.