Like-minded people often find their way to each other even on social media, so it's no surprise that mental health topics are one of the many ways individuals can find community. Mental healthcare has become more prioritized in research, patient care, and algorithms for the past couple of years coincidently alongside the development of social media itself. In this episode, we dive into the pros and cons of self-diagnosis, especially on social media, while discussing psychology. We will learn about the clinical diagnosis tools and the importance of labels and diagnosis for the patient's benefit.

Bibliography

Chang, Hongming, et al. “The effect of mindfulness on social media addiction among Chinese college students: A serial mediation model.” Frontiers in psychiatry vol. 14 1087909. 23 Mar. 2023, doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1087909

Davies, D. (2020, July 16). Psychiatrist: America’s “Extremely Punitive” Prisons Make Mental Illness Worse. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/07/16/891438605/psychiatrist-americas-extremely-punitive-prisons-make-mental-illness-worse

Davis, J.E. The Appeal, and the Peril, of Self-Diagnosis | Psychology Today. Retrieved February 15, 2024, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/our-new-discontents/202209/the-appeal-and-the-peril-self-diagnosis

Huberman, Andrew. “Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett: How to Understand Emotions.” Huberman Lab, October 2023, https://open.spotify.com/episode/1AKjr5ki5Zj5HoIO2YQieE?si=f33802b201814ea7

Iwamoto, et. al. The emotional impact of social media in higher education. Int J High Educ. (2020) 9:239–47. doi: 10.5430/ijhe.v9n2p239

Jiang, Yan. “Problematic Social Media Usage and Anxiety Among University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital and the Moderating Role of Academic Burnout.” Frontiers in psychology vol. 12 612007. 5 Feb. 2021, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.612007

Katzenstein, J Ph.D. (n.d.). Social Media and Self-Diagnosis. Retrieved February 7, 2024, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/2023/08/social-media-and-self-diagnosis

Lasalvia, A. (2015). DSM-5 two years later: Facts, myths, and some key open issues. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 24(3), 185–187. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796015000256

Latha, K., Meena, K. S., Pravitha, M. R., Dasgupta, M., & Chaturvedi, S. K. (2020). Effective use of social media platforms for the promotion of mental health awareness. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 9, 124. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_90_20

Lorenzo-Luaces, L., Dierckman, C., & Adams, S. (2023). Attitudes and (Mis)information About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on TikTok: An Analysis of Video Content. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25(1), e45571. https://doi.org/10.2196/45571

Mathison, L. W. (2023, January 23). Understanding the Mental Health Crisis: Fear-Mongering and Its Consequences. Medium. https://medium.com/@lwmathison/understanding-the-mental-health-crisis-fear-mongering-and-its-consequences-23d5e7daa529

Rasmussen, E. E., & Ewoldsen, D. R. (2016). Treatment via Television: The Relation Between Watching Dr. Phil and Viewers' Intentions to Seek Mental Health Treatment. Journal of Health Communication, 21(6), 611–619. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2015.1114054

Saleh, N. The Risks of Using the Internet to Self-Diagnose. (n.d.). Verywell Health. Retrieved February 15, 2024, from https://www.verywellhealth.com/perils-of-using-the-internet-to-self-diagnose-4117449

Sims, R., Michaleff, Z. A., Glasziou, P., & Thomas, R. (2021). Consequences of a Diagnostic Label: A Systematic Scoping Review and Thematic Framework. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 725877. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.725877

Widhalm, Curt and Vernoy, Katie. “Navigating the Social Media Self-Diagnosis Trend.” The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy, 290, December 2022, https://open.spotify.com/episode/3tNYG2SOMtkPMBEbNpXWeQ?si=17e654493833465d