On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti Have we taken therapy culture too far?
Dec 23, 2025
Laura Delano, author and founder of Inner Compass Initiative, discusses the risks of medicalizing imperfections and how it shapes identity for Gen Z. Clinical psychologist Joanne Finkelstein highlights the influence of social media on self-diagnosis and the challenges within modern therapy systems. Together, they debate whether the trend empowers individuals or increases fragility, and share insights on seeking community support beyond diagnoses. Both urge for a broader understanding of identity that transcends medical labels.
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Diagnosis As Identity Shift
- A large share of Gen Z tie mental health diagnoses to identity, reshaping how they explain themselves.
- Freya India and Meghna warn this inward focus may erode ordinary language for personality and suffering.
Look Outward For Meaning
- Resist constant inward rumination and seek outward engagement with life and community.
- Freya India advises young women to look outward rather than only analyze inner pain.
Medicalization Shrinks Human Language
- Laura Delano links therapy culture to broader medicalization of normal experience.
- She argues medical frameworks narrow non-medical ways of understanding human struggles.