OHIO — Parents and psychologists are noticing an increase in teens and young adults self-diagnosing themselves with illnesses including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and autism based on content on social media.
Mental health experts say social media can help break down stigmas and spark helpful conversations, but it should be thought of as a starting point, not a destination.
“Social media can be a useful tool to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness,” said Dr. Susan Albers, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic. “Personal stories help drive home the point that anyone can be affected by mental illness. The downside is that a lot of misinformation can be spread, which can be harmful and a slippery slope to self-diagnosis.”
Albers thinks social media can be a good place to start, but points to research that shows around 84% of mental health-related content on TikTok is misleading.
“That’s incredibly dangerous,” says Hannah Lipowski, a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling. “I think self-diagnosing can lead to people making things worse than they need to be and not seeking appropriate treatment.”
Lipowski, who is in her early 20s, said she realizes how easy it is to be influenced by social media.
“It’s interesting that I’m still so young in the line of work. My friends come to me and ask me, ‘Do you think I have X, Y or Z?’ But I don’t know. Ethically, I can’t see them as patients.”
Lipowski encourages young people to not stop at what they want to do. think It may be a diagnostic result.
“Awareness is increasing, but treatment rates are falling because people don’t feel the need to seek professional help,” she said. “They think they can just watch some Tik Tok videos that will tell them how to cure their depression, rather than going for psychotherapy or psychiatric treatment.”
Dr. Albers has noticed this phenomenon not only as a psychologist but also as a parent.
“The algorithm can instantly figure out what your child is worried about and what interests them. If your child keeps sending you information about depression, share that information with them. This is a great starting point for communication,” she said.
While doing your research and learning how you feel is an important step in the process, seeking professional guidance will help you arrive at the right treatment plan and, ideally, relieve your symptoms.
“It’s important that patients can just go there and trust that a trained physician will confirm the diagnosis and say, ‘Actually, we think you’re a good fit for this, and here’s our treatment plan,'” Lipowski said.
