Have you ever logged into TikTok, watched a user’s video about their mental health symptoms and thought to yourself: “Wow, I must have that too?” If so, you’re not alone. According to a study, out of 57 Gen-Z participants surveyed, about 71.4% (40) said they believed they had a mental health diagnosis that wasn’t given by a clinician. Out of those 40 people, 26 participants said they believed the diagnosis was influenced by social media. While mental health talk has become less taboo amongst this generation, discussion about where the boundary between self-diagnosis and self-awareness lies due to social media, must be had.
In a conversation with Dr. Amanda Long, owner of True Space Counseling and Psychological Services and Jessica Gaddy, LICSW, founder of Nia Noire, GU discussed the implications of self diagnosis as a result of the surge in social media mental health creators. According to Long, there’s a difference between self-diagnosis and self awareness, which many people tend to confuse. Self awareness comes from a sense of curiosity—noticing your patterns, your triggers, and your needs without jumping to conclusions, she said. However, it can become dangerous when it comes from a place of fear, or urgency in order to make sense of your world leading to a need for self-diagnosis.
There’s no doubt social media has made talking about mental health easier for some. It offers a sense of community, knowing that some of the same issues or difficulties you have experienced have also impacted someone else. Additionally, social media has offered people language. For some, relatable content can feel cathartic to those who may not be able to describe what they believe is going on.
The Cons of Self-Diagnoses
While social media offers those in the mental health community a sense of belonging, the move to self-diagnosis can become harmful. For example, with so many voices on social media Gaddy says that the influx of information can oftentimes cause decision paralysis making it hard to come to a sound decision. This can impact judgement of mental health diagnosis, or even medication use, she added.
Social media and platforms like ChatGPT often miss the mark with diagnosis because it omits context, Gaddy said. Mental health diagnoses like ADHD and trauma can often mimic each other, and only a trained professional can tell the difference.
“When you have anxiety, hyper vigilance or hyperactivity, being easily distractible, and having difficulty sleeping, a lot of those are [also] symptoms of trauma or depression,” she said. “With social media or ChatGPT, it’s missing all of those different historical contexts that really come out in a therapeutic process and a therapeutic relationship, to be able to differentiate a true diagnosis.”
Additionally, Long says that it can be harmful when you find yourself taking on the symptoms of others you view online. Taking the emotional toil can be detrimental to your own mental health and cause you to become a sponge for someone else’s issues.
“When consuming relatable content starts to shift from ‘this reminds me of my experience’ to ‘now I feel heavy, anxious, or emotionally drained,’ that’s your nervous system signaling you’ve crossed a line,” Long said. “We can honor someone else’s story without making it our emotional responsibility. That might look like pausing when content feels too intense, noticing when your empathy turns into overidentification, or even asking yourself: ‘Is this helping me process or is this overwhelming me?’
The Solution:
For care, Gaddy suggests beginning with free-to-low cost options. To prevent misdiagnosis and misinformation, start with a primary care doctor, she said. When discussing with your doctor, you can ask what other medical options are available to you. While mental health content doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, Long says content creators have a responsibility to their viewers. They should avoid broad claims and instead encourage viewers to take the next step to connect with certified mental health professionals.
“They [content creators] can be clear that their content is meant to inform or inspire, not replace professional care,” Long said. “Prefacing posts with disclaimers like, ‘This is based on my personal experience’ or ‘For educational purposes only” helps set healthy boundaries and reminds people that mental health is unique and nuanced.”