| By Michelle Tan |
While scrolling through Instagram, you may find that in the past few years there appeared a lot more content about mental health. The reels encompass a variety of subjects, from self care tips to research about symptoms of different mental health conditions.
Mental health has become a big topic for discussion due to the growing mental health crisis affecting one in five adults and one in three teens. Much of these mental illnesses go unnoticed, leaving them untreated as well, due to stigma and an inability to recognize symptoms.
At the same time, the rise of social media consistently changes the way we learn and share things. Information that used to require a lot of research now can easily be accessed through a bit of scrolling on your phone. Although social media can be detrimental to mental health, it also is a valuable resource and outlet for people to educate themselves and discuss mental health topics with likeminded peers. This easy access to a vast amount of stories and tips encourages more people to share their own experience, which breaks down common barriers preventing treatment.
However, misinformation does still exist, so it is still advised to not trust every advice given on social media platforms.
Reducing Stigma
When considering the impact of social media on mental health, many people view it negatively. Although that viewpoint isn’t entire true, there are still many down sides in the use of social media. Numerous studies show that it can lead to higher risks of depression and self-esteem issues due to the constant comparison in different aspects of life.
However, it goes without saying there are an array of positive outcomes through the use of social media. The facilitation of conversations about mental health reduces the stigma against sharing about it and gives people an outlet to let our their emotions. A fun fact is the the #MentalHealth hashtag has over 50 million Instagram posts and billions of views!
Social media is one of the key tools in reducing the stigma that prevents people from seeking mental health care. People are generally too scared or ashamed to receive help due to the idea of them needing to be strong and independent being instilled in their heads. However, these mental health posts help open discussions, especially when influencers share their stories since many people view them as role models.
Misinformation and Self-Diagnosis
Overall, social media has improved mental health awareness. However, major problems have also risen. One of the most prominent: people self-diagnosing themselves with mental health challenges without consulting a licensed professional.
Many social media posts talk about the symptoms that are usually displayed when one has a mental health challenge. This led to some people creating false symptoms in their head that aren’t really there. For example, there was an increase in reports of tics from teens during the pandemic even though such symptoms are pretty rare. There have been a recent study conducted, resulting in the diagnosis that there seems to be a mass sociogenic illness.
These videos and posts aren’t meant for the viewers to diagnose themselves. It is necessary for everyone to consult a professional instead of making inaccurate assessments.
This is especially true since many conditions have overlapping symptoms or a person may have multiple conditions at once. Also, a lot of information spread online isn’t necessarily supported by facts or science. In fact, nobody should be giving a diagnosis unless they have the specific education or licenses required to do so.
Future
When considering the relationship between social media and mental health, it’s important to acknowledge that both improvements have been made while challenges continue to exist. While social media has revolutionized how people view mental health by reducing the stigma and allowing people to gain more understanding than they otherwise would, it does lead to misinformation and false diagnoses.
Nevertheless, it is one of the most prominent ways for people to learn and share information since more than half the world uses social media. Mental-health content slowly climbs the charts in the most popular content, which allows it to continue to show up on many people’s feeds. Hopefully in the future, social media can be used to teach everyone the importance of mental heatlh but with the caution necessary to prevent more problems from rising.
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