The Dangers of Social Media and Self-diagnosis

Content creators who share their personal stories are often doing so to bring about awareness and to break the stigma around certain mental health conditions (myself included). 

While their experiences may resonate with us, it does not mean that their diagnoses are inherently our diagnoses.

Social media influence may lead to incorrect self-diagnosis

Your symptoms may be similar to that of a content creator, but similar does not mean the same. 

If you plan to self-educate on mental health, it is important to seek out content creators who are either mental healthcare professionals or are upfront about sharing their personal experiences. 

Social media can cause misperception of one's mental health

It's important to take your mental health seriously, but is it possible to take it too seriously?

Social media influence may cause us to overanalyze our symptoms. The word for this is over-pathologizing: over-diagnosing or the refusal to accept certain behavior as normal. 

Infographic contains the following text: Social media allows access to supportive communities. It provides accessible resources and easy research for treatment. The information we find online gives us a starting point. Social media can isolate us from in-person relationships. Comradery may turn into comparison. We are all susceptible to misinformation. How can social media be an aid to our mental health? How can social media be detrimental to our mental health? Use social media wisely and conscientiously.

Each of us has unique ways of learning, unique means of processing, and a unique perception of the world around us. Over-analysing our symptoms can cause distress, loneliness, and even an uptick in mental health experiences.

Our “normal” may not look normal in comparison to someone else. This doesn't mean that something is wrong with us. It just means that we're different.

When we over-simplify mental illness terms, we generalize our symptoms, making it easy to grab onto the closest condition – accurate or not.

Social media influence can conflate mental health experiences with illnesses

Mental health experiences vary throughout our day and are influenced by our circumstances. Our surroundings and the things that affect our daily lives, of course, affect our mental state. 

If we experience a loss, we will experience a heightened sense of sadness, possibly even despair. We may experience anxiety before trying something new or before meeting new people. 

Mental illness, on the other hand, does not rely on external factors, though it can be affected by them. Those of us with mental illness may be experiencing distress despite success. Our conditions can be crippling and often difficult to predict. 

Social media can cause us to delay professional intervention

Complacency is dangerous. When we believe we have determined our diagnosis and find refuge in the content produced by creators of the same perceived illness, we might hold back from professional intervention. 

Professional intervention allows us to get to a place of stability. It allows us to learn more about ourselves and what we need to flourish despite our experiences or illnesses. 

While community is necessary, it's not always enough. Professional intervention gives us an external viewpoint - a professional opinion based on science. For a diagnosis, you may receive evaluation through quizzes or thorough talk therapy, versus the short videos and small bursts of affirmation found on social media. 

Image shows a female-presenting person in exercise clothes sits on a sofa smiling at her phone, taking a selfie.

There are positives to integrating social media and our mental health.

If we have a healthy relationship with social media, it can aid our mental health. When we view mental health content that correlates with our experiences, and that educates us on other communities, we are breaking the stigma.

It's important to talk about mental illness and mental health experiences and to normalize otherwise taboo conditions.

But we must consume such content with caution.

How can social media be detrimental to our mental health?

• It can isolate us from external relationships

• Comradery may turn into comparison

• We may be susceptible to misinformation 

How can social media be an aid to our mental health?

• It allows access to supportive communities.

• Through research, it provides accessible resources and options for treatment.

• The information we find online gives us a starting point.

Realizing we need help is the first step.

This blog was written by Laura-Ray Read, Neurodivergent writer and so much more.

If you're looking to share your personal lived experience with us or  your expertise on mental health, physical health, accessibility, and inclusion, please contact media@ruralmhmatters.co.uk. We'd love to hear from you.