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Mental Health
Mental health and self-diagnosis: “Am I really emotionally exhausted, or is Instagram just telling me so?”
By Lauren Geall
3 years ago
2 min read
The explosion in mental health content on social media is great to see – but is the lack of nuance encouraging too many people to self-diagnose? Stylist investigates.
When was the last time you stumbled upon an Instagram post that made you wonder whether you might be burnt out or diagnosed yourself with high-functioning anxiety after watching a TikTok? If you’ve been on social media at all recently, it probably hasn’t been long.
In the age of peak self-awareness, social media content about mental health and emotional wellbeing is dominating our feeds more than ever before. On Instagram alone, the hashtag #MentalHealth has over 40 million posts, and on TikTok, there are thousands of videos covering everything from ADHD to burnout. And while these kinds of posts have been around for a while, the last couple of years have seen an explosion in ‘signs of’ posts and explainer videos, thanks largely due to the rise in demand for wellbeing content triggered by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
In some ways, this is a good thing – talking about our mental health and sharing tips on how to cope is a great way to raise awareness – but it can also have its downsides, too.
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