#MentalHealthTikTok and the Key to Destigmatizing Mental Illness
Since its inception in 2018 and its rapid growth in 2020, TikTok has evolved from an app many saw as just for teenagers making dance videos into a home for every community imaginable. Practically every interest has its own little - or sometimes not so little - corner of TikTok, from ASMR to Marvel to books to carpentry to pets and millions more. Small businesses and corporations alike are using the app to expand their customer base, and advocates have a space where their videos have the potential to reach millions of viewers. One side of TikTok that has been growing exponentially, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, is Mental Health TikTok, or Therapy TikTok. Through users posting candid videos about their personal mental health struggles or therapists using a trending dance to give advice on coping skills, #mentalhealthtiktok is destigmatizing mental illness and making therapy accessible one video at a time.
#mentalhealthawareness
Mental health TikTok is as varied and diverse as the app itself. Not only can you find tips on self-care and coping skills, you can also learn about lesser-known signs of mental illnesses. Individuals who live with mental illnesses share what it’s actually like to live with their diagnosis, because Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) doesn’t always look like washing your hands seven times or cleaning the house until it’s spotless - in all actuality, it rarely looks like that. By people sharing their personal experiences with mental illnesses, it breaks down stereotypes that have been perpetuated by pop culture and gives people a candid look at how the disorders actually manifest. You can also find videos on people talking about living in recovery from things like eating disorders and substance abuse. Recovery is a never-ending process, not just one moment when someone struggling with alcoholism goes a whole week without drinking, or a teenager with anorexia eats three meals a day for the first time in months. These people bravely share what each day is like - the good days and the hard days - and it makes other people in recovery feel not so alone.
#thingsmytherapisttaughtme
“Therapy” used to be a whispered word, a shameful word, that no one wanted to admit to needing. Even now, it can be easy to see therapists as individuals with no problems at all who have probably never struggled with depression, or anxiety, or PTSD. To combat that stereotype, therapists have taken to TikTok to make videos showing their human side, the side that likes learning trendy dances or sharing their own struggles that they don’t discuss during sessions with clients. Therapists become approachable when they present themselves in such a way, making therapy itself seem less scary, less impersonal. Additionally, having the idea of therapy presented to users in such a non-intimidating way, instead of during a sit-down meeting with parents or in a doctor’s office, makes starting therapy seem much more palatable.
#mentalhealthaccessibility
Getting help for mental health problems has not always been easy. Waiting lists for therapy sessions - both in-person and virtual - can be months long, and even then, not everyone can afford therapy. In USA Today’s article on Mental Health TikTok, they put it best: “The beauty of mental health TikTok lies in its accessibility.” Anyone with the free app has access to these videos. TikTok’s algorithm on the For You Page curates a feed specifically based on what that user has been interacting with, but it also throws in new videos here and there that the user may not have seen before. This algorithm increases the chances that someone who needs advice on their mental health but doesn’t know where to look might just stumble across a video from a therapist telling them exactly what they need to hear. They are given language to define feelings that they’ve always had and struggled with but were never able to describe; as David J. Puder, a therapist with his own TikTok account, says, “Knowledge is empowering to people who might not otherwise have access.” From there, it’s easy to find a community of other people who are dealing with the same thing. Finding that community then decreases the shame, stigma, and isolation people might feel when struggling with mental illness alone and feeling like they are the only person in the world who has ever felt this way. Because they then realize - they’re not, and they have thousands of videos of people working through it right along with them.
#howtohelp
Due to the freedom users have to search and create videos of practically anything they want, there is always the risk of users searching for topics that are harmful to mental health, such as topics related to suicide or eating disorders. Whenever a user searches these certain hashtags, instead of showing videos about the topics, TikTok produces a banner with resources and hotlines to call, including the National Suicide Prevention hotline and links for the National Eating Disorders Association. TikTok also has trigger warnings for certain videos depending on the content, whether it be depicting violence, blood, or other potentially disturbing or triggering things. When a video contains these triggers, the video will start with a grey screen and a sensitivity/trigger warning, making the user aware of the content and giving the option to not watch the video if they so choose.
TikTok also has a Safety Center which can be accessed via the menu icon on the user’s profile. In the Safety Center, they have assembled guides full of resources on eating disorders, assault, bullying, suicide and self-harm, and other topics. Also included are guides on how to support others who are dealing with these issues.
#thedarkside
Like with any social media, there are always going to be things to be wary of amidst the good. With Mental Health TikTok, it’s important to know who is giving advice and if they’re a trustworthy source. Not everyone who gives mental health advice is a therapist, and this can cause a dangerous spread of misinformation. Checking the credentials of the user can help determine whether or not they’re qualified to talk on a topic. In general, it’s best to make sure that the user is a licensed therapist and not a mental health coach or another vague title.
TikTok therapists are generally all in agreement when they say that #therapytiktok should not be used as a replacement for IRL therapy. In a real therapy session, the clinician is able to give counsel garnered to the client’s specific situation, not a blanket video promoted to thousands of viewers. Real therapy sessions are also the only place that people should go to for a true diagnosis. Self-diagnosing based on a TikTok is never a good idea. If anything, mention what was seen in the TikTok during a therapy session and how it applies to your personal life and allow the professional to do the diagnosing if applicable.
Mental Health TikTok is overall a blessing to so many people. The accessibility and community that it offers help destigmatize mental health in a way that hasn’t been seen before. The platform gives users a space to share their personal stories and listen to others, leaving them feeling not so alone when they close out the app.