Social Media’s Role in Normalizing Mental Health Issues: Helpful, or Harmful?

In 2021, mental health issues and trauma have become a much more widely addressed topic than they were even a handful of years ago. The internet is flooded with social media accounts that provide education about mental health struggles (including my own!), or accounts of individuals who speak about their own struggles and experiences with mental health. In turn, many people are more aware of the prevalence of mental health issues, and may have a better understanding of how they impact those affected by them. This increased awareness can help struggling individuals to feel less alone, which is something that is incredibly powerful, as mental health struggles can often feel isolating, or like something that no one else would understand. The potential to be seen, heard, and understood is an impactful upside of this uprise in mental health discussion. De-stigmatizing and normalizing mental health struggles may also allow people to feel more comfortable seeking support, whether that be from a friend, parent, teacher, therapist, etc. When our society begins to view mental health struggles through an accepting and compassionate lens that does not perpetuate stigma or feelings of shame, then people may not feel as though asking for help is a sign of weakness, or as though there is something “wrong” with them.

While there is no denying the benefits that have come from the normalization of mental health struggles, we must also reflect on the possible problems that can arise. First, and likely the most obvious, is the misinformation that can spread. There are many fabulous mental health professionals who provide education through their social media platforms, and fantastic individuals who speak to their own personal experiences. At the same time, there are also accounts run by individuals who are not trained mental health professionals, and who can do harm by posting information that is inaccurate, stigmatizing, or offensive. The old saying remains true: don’t believe everything you read on the internet (or, take it with a grain of skepticism, and do some additional research, even if the person posting is a professional).

On a slightly different, but related note, the wave of accessible information (and sometimes misinformation) can often lead individuals to self-diagnose when they read about certain mental health diagnoses, symptoms, etc. This isn’t always problematic — when one feels that they resonate with a certain diagnosis or set of symptoms, this can help them to better understand themselves, their experiences, and how to cope. At the same time, self-diagnosing has the potential to be harmful for a number of reasons. First, a self-diagnosis doesn’t allow for a discussion with a trained professional who can help you to provide context to the diagnosis, fully understand the nuances of the symptoms, and understand both the strengths and struggles that may be associated with a diagnosis. This can lead to people misunderstanding a possible diagnosis, or viewing themselves or their experience through a stigmatized lens. Secondly, this also opens the door for someone to misdiagnose themselves. At the end of the day, there is a significant amount of training that mental health professionals undergo to help them reach a place where they can effectively diagnosis mental health disorders. More often than not, it is not as simple as checking off a list of symptoms. When making a diagnosis, a clinician must carefully consider the possible interactions of physical health concerns, trauma histories, medications, historical factors, current circumstances and/or circumstantial changes, and more.

Another problem that I have witnessed is the glamorization of mental health issues, which is often sneakily disguised as an attempt to normalize an issue. When people glamorize mental health struggles, they are often presenting a false reality of what it looks like to live with a (potentially) very challenging diagnosis. This can harm and alter the perception that people have of mental health struggles, making them seem vain, cute, or quirky. Additionally, this can impact the perceptions that others have about their own mental health struggles, leading to comparison-based thoughts like, “If this person makes it look so good, why is it so hard for me?”

Lastly, there can be damage done by approaching mental health issues too casually. For example, someone recently said to me, “These days, everyone says that everything is a trauma response, which means that nothing is a trauma response!” At baseline, it is wonderful that knowledge of the the impacts of trauma (and other mental health concerns) is becoming more common and accessible. At the same time, this information can be taken out of context and misused. Trauma responses are very real; at the same time, individuals who have experienced trauma may also have very typical responses to daily events (e.g., feeling aggravated when you’re stuck in traffic, or bummed out that it’s raining), and their responses might have nothing to do with their traumas. Terms used by mental health professionals often become overused buzzwords that, through persistent and sometimes inaccurate use, lose the value and meaning they once held. Another problem with making mental health issues too casual of a topic is that it dismisses the fact that most mental health symptoms, struggles, trauma responses, etc. exist on a spectrum of varying levels of severity and intensity. This can leave those who struggle with more acute issues feeling misunderstood, invalidated, or as though their struggles are diminishing in weight and credibility.

At the end of the day, most social media posts/videos are not able to provide the context and nuance needed in order to consistently, effectively, and accurately support people in applying information to their individual situations, experiences, or symptoms. But, like most anything, this isn’t a black or white situation that is all good or all bad. Social media can be a great source of more generalized mental health information, a way to de-stigmatize and normalize the struggles people face, and a way to help content consumers feel heard, understood, and less alone. So, how do we move forward as both content creators and consumers? Those creating mental health content must be sure to share accurate information, to contemplate the impact that their content might have on consumers and to consider how their message is likely to be received, and to acknowledge to their followers that there may be certain risks in engaging with mental health-related social media content. Consumers must be mindful of what they’re consuming, and know that it’s okay to disregard posts that don’t feel helpful for them, that don’t align with their experiences, or that have the potential to be inaccurate. Consumers should take note of how certain posts or topics impact them, and should be selective in engaging with account that truly feel beneficial. Consumers must also keep in mind that a social media post cannot — and should not — define their experiences with mental health. At the end of the day, your experiences are your own, and only you know what resonates with you and what doesn’t.