Social Media's Impact on Mental Health & Self-Diagnosis

Social media and online psychology is an emerging area in our society today, and although the long-term effects of the internet are yet to be seen, there has been some research regarding self-diagnosis surveys and online self-report questionnaires. At a glance, it seems that social media and mental health interactions are something of a double-edged sword. One research article states that,

Normalizing mental health disorders, such as anxiety, can have positive implications, such as making people feel more comfortable seeking help. However, the models examined here provide evidence that when people see a social media post that normalizes anxiety, they are more likely to identify with the person in the post, and thus are more likely to consider themselves as having an anxiety disorder. (Hasan et al., 2023)

This parasocial effect, often seen with influencers who lean heavily into making their mental health struggles a core part of their online identity, can sometimes cause others viewing their content to associate more strongly with the disorder than is actually warranted (for example, someone who follows a celebrity who frequently talks about having adult ADHD might overestimate their own ADHD symptoms and identify with a disorder that they might not, in fact, have). So, while social media can help bring awareness to certain disorders, specifically anxiety, it can also have negative implications. In reality, it is perfectly normal for everyone to be anxious from time to time, and social media is not the best place to differentiate between normal, everyday anxiety and a diagnosable anxiety disorder.

Additionally, Hasan et al. (2023) state in their article that “internet-assisted self-diagnosis can lead to misinformation, delayed treatment, low-efficacy, or dangerous self-treatment through recreational drugs”. Obviously, this can be dangerous, and shows that social media and the internet are not always the best place to go in order to be informed about mental health issues. It’s important not to make any treatment decisions or adopt a self-diagnosis based on social media. No matter how accurate a self-reporting tool on social media may claim to be, or how close an influencer’s symptoms seem to your own, always take the results with a grain of salt.

Another study looked into online self-report tools for anxiety and depression differentiated by way of symptom-based diagnosis compared to self-reported diagnostic measures (Davies et al., 2021). This was a large study containing roughly 60,000 remote participants. The findings were intriguing in that, “Particularly high agreement was found for participants with a diagnosis,” which suggests that for the participants that already had a preexisting diagnosis, the self-report and symptom based questionnaires were fairly accurate. But, of course the data was not absolutely conclusive and the article is quick to remind us that, “Further research is therefore required to validate these measures against “gold standard” clinical interviews.” Hence, as previously stated, do not take the results from a self-report questionnaire as absolute fact—but also keep in mind that there are correlations and agreements for a high percentage of participants throughout this study, and for several disorders such as GAD, depression, and other phobias.

In summary, online tools and social media can be a great place to start when you think you may be suffering from a mental disorder and want to do a quick test or are looking for more information. After all, the internet is helpful for spreading awareness about mental health disorders and diminishing the stigma attached to them. But, this does not mean that these online tests can replace the opinion of a doctor. Always rely on the “gold standard” method of an in-person clinical interview with a professional for a more accurate, reliable diagnosis and treatment plan.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction to Self-Report Tools in Psychological Evaluation

The modern world can often be a stressful place, one that can give rise to a whole host of mental health struggles—and with the rise of the internet and social media, people are more open about their mental health and the labels that accompany it than ever before. Odds are, you or someone you know has felt depressed, anxious, or found it difficult to focus in the midst of modern life. And there’s certainly no shortage of people, both in person and online, who identify themselves as ‘depressed,’ ‘anxious,’ or ‘having ADHD.’ To put some numbers to this, one source states that, T he prevalence of anxiety, particularly among college students, is concerning; a 2019 survey from the American College Health Association showed that 66.4% reported feeling 'overwhelming anxiety' at least once during the academic year. Further, almost 10% of college students are being or have been treated for depression, and mental illness is the leading cause of disability worldwide. (Hasan) With ever i...
Read more

The Beck Depression Inventory

The first self-reporting tool we’re going to talk about is the Beck Depression Inventory, which— you guessed it!—is for people who might have depression. It has you (or whoever’s taking the test) rate your answers to depression-related questions on a scale of 0-3, with higher numbers meaning more severe depression. As an example, a question might look like, “Are you sad recently?” With responses that look like:  0 - I am usually not sad. 1 - I feel sad most of the time. 2 - I feel sad all the time. 3 - I am so sad that I can’t stand it. When you’re done, the scores get added up and the total serves as a rough idea of how depressed you might be. With only twenty-one questions, the Beck Depression Inventory is certainly quick and easy to take, and it’s free! However, it’s not the most accurate test. Depression symptoms can vary wildly from one person to the next, and the Beck Depression Inventory is totally reliant on the test-taker being honest. If they decide to lie—say, if they do...
Read more

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Index

Where the Beck Depression Inventory is quick, easy, and free, but also susceptible to misinformation and deception on the part of the person taking it, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (or MMPI) is in many ways the exact opposite. With several hundred questions, the MMPI leaves no stone unturned in its search for the true state of one’s mental health, and it can be useful for identifying a wide variety of mental health disorders, not just depression! It’s also really good at finding out when the test-taker is lying about their symptoms—in a 2023 study, Dr. Tilbe Ambrose (et. al.) found that the MMPI could distinguish between people who had a disorder and people who were coached to fake the disorder with over 90% accuracy! Unfortunately, the MMPI can take several hours to complete, and it isn’t free, so it’s not a tool you can easily use at home. A therapist or other mental health professional might recommend it and make the arrangements for it, but for better or for wors...
Read more