Research Surrounding Social Media Reveals That Young People Are Still Battling Mental Health Stigma And Struggling To Get Support

cherryandbees - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
cherryandbees - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

Teens and young adults have increasingly turned to various social media platforms to share their mental health struggles and seek advice.

However, Reddit has become the go-to platform for especially vulnerable posts, which shows that there is still a stigma surrounding seeking professional help.

This finding came from a recent University of Alberta study, in which researchers manually extracted and analyzed Reddit data to conduct one of the first examinations of youth mental health experiences.

“There’s been so much focus on mental health literacy, mental health campaigns, and trying to increase awareness,” said Lisa Hartling, director of the Alberta Research Center for Health Evidence (ARCHE).

“But people still feel stigmatized about disclosing. That really came out in the Reddit analysis. They feel ashamed or uncomfortable with it internally, and then worried about what others will think if they disclose.”

The study allowed for a unique understanding of youth discussion– related to mental health and seeking help– on an anonymous social platform.

The researchers began by analyzing 3,000 messages that had been posted on two different “subreddits” during the first half of 2021.

Out of this group, the team selected 98 messages that had been written by individuals between the ages of 13 and 24. Additionally, the selected messages were centered around information needs or help-seeking behavior.

Then, the researchers– including undergraduate student Meghan Sit and ARCHE assistant director Sarah Elliott– started to analyze the posts and identify different themes.

cherryandbees – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

“There’s lots of discourse in the social media space. We see it go by, but to analyze it in depth is certainly a different undertaking,” Hartling explained.

“And I think it was taxing for them [Sit and Elliot] to be reading these things– in particular, reading without an opportunity to provide support.”

Aside from stigma influences, the team uncovered how many Reddit posts suggested that a lower level of mental health literacy actually discouraged young individuals from seeking help or discussing their mental health struggles.

For instance, numerous people who posted on Reddit asked questions regarding symptoms, medication effectiveness, wait lists, costs, and how to obtain services.

According to the study authors, this lack of mental health knowledge appeared to create even more challenges for individuals who were either trying to cope with their own difficulties or cope with struggles that other loved ones were experiencing.

Many of the experiences captured during this research effort pointed to feelings of embarrassment, fear, and shame– which all arise from stigma and pushed youth to conceal what they were experiencing.

And among the individuals who had previously received help, some people posted negatively on Reddit about the experience. Certain posts cited side effects of medications; meanwhile, others highlighted feelings of dismissal or ignorance by doctors.

“I’m so scared to seek therapy again in case I get told it’s just anxiety again. I just feel like there is something much more going on,” one individual posted.

The researchers warned that such negative experiences could reinforce concerns among sensitive youth, who are already struggling against a wide breadth of emotions stemming from stigma.

And according to Hartling, the research shows a range of diverse issues impacting young individuals– calling for equally diverse mental health solutions.

She and the team also wondered whether large amounts of information about mental health are not available in certain places or formats that are easy for youth to access.

“Some of those questions seem pretty straightforward. It would be good to figure out how we get the answers out to youth where they’re going to find them,” Hartling concluded.

“I think this is just demonstrating the unique discourse youth have and how we really need to involve youth in developing the knowledge tools and disseminating them.”

To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Sage Journals, visit the link here.

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Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek
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