TikTok often gets a bad rep when it comes to mental health. We all fall down a ‘scroll hole’ at one point or other but maybe there is more to TikTok than wasting precious time. What if, contrary to popular belief, TikTok has done us more good during Covid-19 than we give it credit for?
Creators and viewers have flooded to TikTok, the fastest growing platform in 2020, for the short, amusing video content distracting them from what has become a terrifying pandemic. Covid-19 has undoubtedly ignited a long-intensifying global mental health crisis across many divides in society. Mental health issues are incredibly complex and it can be hard for marginalised groups to find support. What if the one good thing TikTok has done for us over the last year is help us find solidarity in our shared struggles?
TikTok creators have used their platforms to show solidarity within communities during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“I work with a lot of people who have psychosis and usually, when they do come to us, they’ve actually had it for a pretty long time, but they’ve just kept it quiet because they didn’t want to look ‘mad’ or the ‘crazy’ one,” said Jenny Okolo, Mental Health Occupational Therapist.
Scrolling to Solidarity
For some, TikTok can help promote wellbeing in the community of ‘#therapytiktok’. Stories of mental health diagnosis, lesser-known symptoms, and practical coping strategies help viewers find solidarity.
Natalie Arney, 38, has Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) and follows counsellors on TikTok. “They have simple tips and motivational bits and bobs on there. For those that live with the conditions, I think it’s kind of reassuring that you’re not alone.”
Jess Morgan, 20, found TikTok helpful when she couldn’t find a diagnosis. “Even if you can’t go to the doctor and get the medicine you need, at least you can take on the advice and implement it to help make yourself feel better,” she said. “Thanks to TikTok, I found a way to get diagnosed and will hopefully get support for my ADHD.”
“there are so many posts on my ‘for you page’ reminding me that it’s ok to feel down or to be struggling, and to take a breath”
TikTok’s personalisation algorithm matched Natalie with more mental health content: “Because I follow these people, I then get recommended accounts of people either that are counsellors or that specialise in mental health, or they are people that live with the same conditions and talk about their experiences. That’s the kind of stuff I want.”
Blogger Meddie O’Byrne, 22, said, “generally, there are so many posts on my ‘for you page’ reminding me that it’s ok to feel down or to be struggling, and to take a breath.”
However, Meddie has also seen posts about aspiring towards a post-lockdown “glow-up” which made her feel self-conscious. Natalie avoids this less helpful content by ignoring advice from accounts which she hasn’t fact-checked herself. Content reporting and accessibility functionalities, mentioned by Natalie and Jess, help keep the platform inclusive and safe.
Viewers may need to take mental health content on TikTok with a pinch of salt, however, many are excited about its potential for building a community space devoted to finding support for mental health issues.
Creating Communities
Some creators have been responding to the mental health crisis by using it to nurture solidarity amongst communities of like-minded people.
Jenny Okolo, 25, is a mental health occupational therapist who uses TikTok to give wellbeing tips and provide information to raise awareness of lesser-known mental health illnesses.
“Social media right now is a great tool for spreading the message around mental health, specifically psychosis, and different types of psychiatric conditions. It’s not just depression, it’s people who hear voices and see things,” she said. “I work with a lot of people who have psychosis and usually, when they do come to us, they’ve actually had it for a pretty long time, but they’ve just kept it quiet, because they didn’t want to look ‘mad’ or the ‘crazy’ one.”
Although she is a qualified mental health professional, Jenny is still cautious on TikTok.
“At the end of the day, as much as it is fun and accessible, it is not a clinical environment. I am cautious about that and I’d always urge people to do their research and seek professional help if they want to go forward with some recommendation.”
She also advocates the use of disclaimers on mental health TikToks, even for professionals.
“The people watching my videos aren’t my patients, so I’m not protected in the same way that I would be as I am now, working in the NHS,” she says.
Creators seem self-aware of how their content might affect users. Is there the same critical evaluation of the mental health information by TikTok viewers, and do algorithms amplify marginalised voices enough?
Representing the Underrepresented
One benchmark of a more democratised and equal society is the ability of underrepresented voices, including BAME, LGBTQ+, and disabled creators to control their own narrative on mental health.
Natalie suggested that there seems to be more “acceptance for LGBTQ+ identities, especially around trans and non-binary people” on TikTok. Additionally, Jess remembers seeing a homeless LGBTQ+ creator using TikTok to advertise their Venmo account to raise money.
Normalising mental illness online can also counter cultural narratives such as the taboo of mental illness as possession or witchcraft in African and Caribbean cultures, Jenny explained.
“You can almost find your own little community and grow with them,” she said.
Jenny explained why this relatability is important. “For me, as a black woman, I love seeing other black woman who are in the creative space or who are in the same health space as me talking about their experiences – whether it’s occupational therapy or mental health. It makes me feel more welcome to the platform.”
Clearly, mental health is complex and unique to every individual, but by safely sharing experiences within marginalised communities, we can start to understand it and increase our awareness.
Potential for Growth
We know TikTok is not going to solve our mental health crisis. Only addressing societal factors like poverty, toxic gender binaries, and shame will begin to heal the current explosion in mental health issues. For marginalised users, TikTok is a cautious step towards claiming narrative ownership on mental health and sharing experiences. As for whether we can scroll to wellbeing, only time will tell, but TikTok certainly has potential. It offers a democratised approach to storytelling and it’s this potential that we’re beginning to tap into during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Felice Southwell
Featured image courtesy of Felice Southwell. Image license is credible to her. No changes were made to this image.
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