Pros and Cons of Mental Health on Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok.
There are mental health accounts and mental health information all over these platforms, which can be a great thing in some ways and a dangerous thing in other ways.
Social media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so it’s important to know how to use it and have a healthy relationship with it.
It’s important to be aware of both the pros and cons and to be discerning about what accounts you follow and what accounts and information should be dismissed.
The Pros
Reducing Stigma
There has always been a significant stigma around mental health. People with mental health issues have been called “crazy” and treated differently for centuries. But we have been able to make strides in reducing that stigma, partially thanks to social media.
Mental health professionals have accounts to share helpful information to a wider audience. Everyday people and celebrities share their lived experiences with mental health to help normalize it and make others feel more comfortable talking about mental health and reach out for help.
These aspects of mental health of social media can be extremely helpful and positive.
Information for (Almost) All
There continue to be issues with access to mental health care for a number of reasons, including insurance, finances, long waitlists, and living in remote areas (although telehealth has helped reduce this barrier!). By being able to access mental health information on free social media platforms that have a large reach, many people, who may not otherwise be able to, are able to receive helpful tips and other information on mental health.
The Cons
Misinformation
While there is lots of great information out there, there is also lots of misinformation. People posting mental health information are not always professionals with the proper education and training (see more on this below). Even people who are trained and educated may provide misinformation, unintentionally or carelessly.
Bullying
Anywhere on the internet, there’s a risk of cyberbullying. But when it comes to mental health, just like in a therapy room, it’s important to have a safe space to discuss it. The internet is not always a safe place for this, and it can be damaging.
Generalization
This is a big one. Social media posts can have information that is very generalized. For example, from a post I saw recently:
“How ADHD can present in women: disorganization, quickness to feeling overwhelmed, anxiety, internal hyperactivity, depression, overwhelm, low self-esteem, challenges with emotional regulation, and lack of effort or motivation.”
In the comments, I saw countless people saying they could relate and that they now believe they have ADHD. Ugh. Are some of them experiencing ADHD? Probably. Is everyone who related to this post experiencing ADHD? Absolutely not.
While these can be symptoms of ADHD, they are not always. They can be symptoms of other things, like depression, anxiety, or trauma, or they can be unrelated to any diagnosis.
This post did have an article connected to it, which further explained that this doesn’t mean you have ADHD and you should consult with a professional. But the problem with that is, most people aren’t reading that article. You had to click through to the profile, the link, and another link to find the actual article. And, I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually do that. I don’t want to spend a lot of time on social media, and even on the occasional times that I do, I scroll through things pretty quickly. My guess is that many others do the same, which means they are simply getting the generalized information from the main posts, and that is problematic.
Self-Diagnosis
On a related note, people tend to diagnosis themselves based on the generalized information they see on social media. This information can be a starting point when you have access to a professional to consult with, but not everyone does (or not everyone chooses to reach out to one).
If you have the means to consult with a licensed mental health professional to discuss your thoughts on whether you may be experiencing a particular diagnosis, strongly consider it. Self-diagnosis, especially a (mis)self-diagnosis, can be more hurtful than helpful.
How to Choose the “Right” Accounts to Follow
You can’t always control the content you see on social media, but when you can, it’s important to follow pages and people who are providing accurate information. You can help gain more control by:
Unfollowing accounts that negatively impact you in some way
Not engaging on posts that you don’t like or want to see more of
Social media algorithms can only tell that you reacted, commented, clicked, or spent a significant amount of time on a post. They don’t care why you did, so they will continue to show you more and more of those kinds of posts simply because you engaged in it in some way (even if that was putting an ‘angry’ react). *I am no social media expert, but this has been my experience with my own pages.
Check Who is Running the Account
There are lots of people on social media calling themselves “coaches,” “mentors,” “experts,” and even “therapists / counselors,” who may not actually hold those credentials. At all. It makes me angry and cringe every time I see an account like this.
Social media doesn’t require that you provide any kind of documentation to prove that you hold those credentials, so literally anyone can call themselves whatever they want.
Make sure to check the person’s background, through the website in the links on their page or by googling their name, to make sure they are legitimately trained in whatever they are claiming to be trained in.
Trust Yourself
If a page or post seems off, trust yourself. If you’re not sure, ask your therapist or someone else you trust to help determine whether it is a trustworthy source of information.
Social media has changed our world in many ways, some positive and some negative. If you can be discerning about what accounts you follow and what you take from the information that is shared, social media can be a more healthy and safe place for you.