The Short-form video app TikTok has taken the world by storm with viral dancing challenges, DIY hacks, story times and everything in between. Whilst the app deserves praise for helping destigmatize various ‘taboo’ topics, many are concerned at the proliferation of mental health content.
Although someone may find this to be a good thing, certain harmful trends giving an outpour of misleading information are being viewed by Gen Z, who are in turn self-diagnosing with serious mental health conditions.
Mental health content has blown up across TikTok, with the hashtag #therapistsoftiktok generating over 469.8M views! Mental health clinicians are thinking the Pandemic has facilitated this mental health evolution, as well as the younger users of the app who feel more comfortable sharing difficult information and personal trauma.
As a result, it has created a space where many are advocating for mental illnesses, destigmatizing the use of medications and therapy, and are able to freely self-assess their pasts through seeing themselves in the experiences of others.
Numerous accounts are positively informing and exposing viewers to mental health concepts but therapists caution that these videos should never be taken as a substitute for professional replacement.
Below are some examples on the dark side to such ‘trends’ and exploring the detrimental impact on young individuals.
Viewers Self-Diagnosing Conditions
In the past year, there has been a significant increase in the number of young adults and teens self-diagnosing very serious mental health conditions such as Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Anxiety & Autism.
In recently published study by the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, it was found that out of the top 100 most popular videos under the topic ‘ADHD’ over 52% were highly misleading.
In some instances, various users would be suggesting symptoms such as anxiety, mood swings and difficult concentrating meant that have the condition.
Outrageously, multiple young teens are using audio-clips as a diagnosis tool and undermining what is typically a thorough process, carried out by a medical professional.
Moreover, it has been found that various sub-groups are attracting a great deal of attention amongst users. The hashtag ADHD has over 10.6bn views, anxiety has 13.1bn and most recently Autism which generated over 8bn views. Many are taking a number of symptoms they have experienced and are concluding with a diagnoses.
Author and former Psychiatrist Dr. John Folen recently gave a poignant statement during an interview for Everyday Health. He stated “There is a big difference between experiencing symptoms and having a disorder.” This is where being mindful about what you post comes into play.
It also makes us question, what are those in charge of the app doing to police such content?
The Repercussions of Over-Sharing Trauma
Unsolicited “trauma dumping” has been another growing phenomenon on TikTok, where many have very little to no personal boundaries and are sharing highly-disturbing content regarding trauma-related themes such as depression, abuse, eating disorders and family matters.
Many healthcare professionals are speaking out about how over-sharing your trauma so publicly can actually create much more damage in the long-run. Trauma therapist and best-selling author Shannon Thomas discussed her opinions on the matter to Insider, “Trauma dumping creates an open door for a survivor to be further harmed if their experience is met with a harsh or critical response from others online”.
Various people tend to use the app almost like a personal diary, keeping followers up to date with the latest troubles in their personal life and conversing in comment sections about their experiences. Without appropriate support in place, re-counting painful experiences can be highly triggering – either for the individual sharing or for a viewer who may have been through something similar.
With a lack of proper enforcement around graphic content and community guidelines being swayed, social media platforms can undoubtedly in some instances be deemed as harmful (especially to young audiences who are regular users of the platforms and can be easily influenced if not supervised correctly).
Despite the fact that some users use ‘trigger warnings’ on their posts, many are shown without one and are receiving negative backlash from parents.
In a statement given to Vice, a spokesperson for TikTok reiterated that they “do not allow content that promotes self-harm or suicide. However, we do allow our users to share their experiences in order to raise awareness about these issues” and encourage those who may be facing difficulty to seek support using the Safety Resources available.
Creating unrealistic expectations
Another increasingly popular trend circulating are “what I eat in a day” videos.
Within these videos, a lot of individuals are showing unrealistic food diaries, with very little calories consumed throughout the day.
Granted that not everyone looking at such a video would immediately think that this is a cause for concern but for those who might already suffer with disordered eating or a negative relationship with their body, they might be easily triggered.
The Wall Street Journal investigated this first hand, creating over 100 bots and testing the TikTok algorithm against the topic of weight loss. They found that 11,615 videos detailing keywords related to disordered eating and thousands of videos that used different spellings to avoid getting flagged by TikTok.
Various videos showing extreme dieting and unhealthy fitness routines have been amongst many others that promote and almost normalize disordered eating and extreme exercise. Messages like this are extremely toxic for young viewers who are influenced to believe they can obtain a body that in many instances trigger issues surrounding relationships with food & their physical self.
How to properly vet the mental health content you watch
In spite of the fact that you may come across videos created by trained mental health professionals whilst scrolling through TikTok, there is a number of videos detailing first-hand experiences. We urge you to keep in mind that sharing such content allows for others to feel validated and relatable but it is not always accurate information!
Take a look at who you seek advice from on TikTok, do they have factual evidence to support their claims?
It is recommended to follow Healthcare practitioners who have the qualifications to inform and share and remember to ALWAYS consult with a professional.
It is also important to note, that a lot of ‘influencers’ and social media personalities are paid to promote certain topics and products and once again being conscious of such things helps to eliminate facts from personal opinions.
With Mental Health Awareness week just around the corner, it is the perfect time to assess are you actively doing things to protect your mental health?
Please remember, if you are struggling, reach out to a professional and to get the help you deserve.