Katharina Buczek
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.
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