People Are Seeking Help and Support Through Therapy TikToks– but Are They Helpful, or Are They Harmful?
Gen Z are looking to TikTok to seek mental health advice, but do these 60 second videos help or do they risk oversimplifying mental illness?
The last 13 months have been incredibly hard and isolating for so many of us. Though few would need convincing of this fact, a survey conducted by YoungMinds found that 80% of young people felt the pandemic has made their mental health worse.
So it is no surprise that Generation Z, those born between 1997 to 2012, have been using alternative means to seek the help and support they need.
Throughout lockdown, discussions about mental health have become a central feature on TikTok, with many, including therapists, gravitating to the platform to find and offer support and solidarity with those trying to cope with symptoms made worse by isolation.
At the time of writing, hashtags like #TikTokTherapy and #Therapy are spiking in popularity, with 481.5M views and 2.8B views respectively.
Initially these # threads were flooded with short-form videos of people sharing their experiences of living with mental illness, dismantling misconceptions and finding community, but now trained therapists and psychologists are using TikTok to offer specialist advice.
Some of these videos offer simple advice, such as certain breathing techniques to help with anxiety. While others delve into more serious subjects, explaining how certain traumatic events can lead to mental illness.
It is clear that some people are finding this fast paced, in the moment advice helpful.
But is there a danger in this generic advice and is seeking help via a 60-second video really a good idea?
Small business owner and campaigner Farah Benis, has found the value in these videos, after they led her to seek a diagnosis for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from her GP.
“It’s very common for women and girls to go undiagnosed or be diagnosed later in life, so if I hadn’t come across these TikToks talking about lesser known ways [ADHD] can affect you. I doubt that I would have jumped to this conclusion by myself.” she explains.
“It’s nice to finally have a reason for why I am how I am.”
Since then Farah has continued to follow a few qualified experts that help to educate her about her ADHD.
“It’s great having simple to follow resources that are able to teach me more about my disorder and also finding ways to work around some of the issues I face. There’s a lot I’ve learned about how my ADHD has affected me in ways that I had never considered.”
However Farah is aware of the downfalls of seeking support on TikTok.
“Obviously the format of TikTok means you’re getting a very condensed form of information. So it’s really important to continue to research beyond the video clip, and also seek more individualised help that can be tailored to you.”
“Everyone is different, and so what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. So while these resources are positive, I utilise them as a starting point for research or conversation with my own therapist.”
As the coronavirus pandemic rapidly swept across the world, it induced a considerable degree of fear, worry and concern in the population at large. And with wait times for therapy at an all-time high, many have turned to social media for help.
Nick Conn, founder of Help4Addiction turned to TikTok after seeing a rapid increase in his Instagram following. Through his social media presence Nick has been able to treat lots of people who have found his services via his content on TikTok.
“TikTok is encouraging more people to open up about their mental health, and feel like they’re not going to be judged. That’s got to be a good thing.” Nick says.
Nick believes that if someone can take that first step in opening up then hopefully they can be guided to take the right actions to move forward.
But, Nick is also very aware of the downfalls of TikTok therapy content.
“Mental health is a very broad topic and while one person’s mental illness could be depression another’s others could be anxiety, schizophrenia, or personality disorder. So, you cannot offer specific advice, as a general.” he explains
“People need to be very careful, if they’re giving advice, especially if they’re not trained to. And people need to be mindful of who they’re following, and what information they are taking in.”
Kelly O’Sullivan, a licensed therapist in New York and New Jersey owns a fully virtual private practice working primarily with millennial women and teens dealing with anxiety.
She started her TikTok, @sitwithkelly, to spread awareness about mental health and provide resources and tips for how to manage anxiety and has also found it has also been a great marketing tool for her practice.
“I have gotten great responses from my TikTok. A lot of people have reached out to me to tell me how much my page has helped them with not feeling “crazy” for having anxiety, learning helpful tips, and normalising conversations about mental health. Half of my clients have found me on TikTok.”
But Kelly warns that TikTok must not be used as a replacement for therapy, this is because advice and resources are not individualized, so getting that 1-on-1 support in a safe space is really important.
Qualified BACP Therapist from Watoto Play, Yasmin Shaheen-Zaffar is not on TikTok and is wary about the platform being used to offer mental health advice, she said “TikTok can be a space for creating good psychoeducation but not to conduct actual therapy.”
“These days everyone seems to be creating content for mental health. In one way it’s great as there is more awareness but there are also dangers if the wrong message is being sent out.” Yasmin continues.
Tik Tok videos have the potential to spread misinformation and or exploit serious topics such as trauma. Also, the short nature of the videos cannot fully encompass psychological concepts which might lead individuals to not have full understanding.
While the dangers of seeking help via the app are clear, there is no doubt that when these platforms are used with care they can provide comfort for many of us.
Mental health support-
- Mind infoline on: 0300 123 3393
- NHS therapy programmes nhs.uk/service-search
- Go to your GP for advice and medical help
- ChildLine Telephone: 0800 1111
- SHOUT Text: 85258
- Samaritans call: 116 123
