Concerns Regarding the Glorification of Mental Illness on Social Media

Abstract

In today's world, it is becoming increasingly important to address not only the need for awareness of mental illnesses but also the undue glorification of the same by certain segments of society. Social media has been a major influence on Generation Z in terms of self-diagnosing mental illnesses and romanticizing them. More and more individuals have started recognizing online trends of self-diagnosis of mental illness, and it is increasingly plausible in the process of normalizing the conversation around mental health through memes, TikTok videos, and viral tweets; this has had the paradoxical effect of romanticization of mental illness in certain segments of society.  Through this editorial, we would like to highlight this important issue and urge the mental health community to be cognizant of this phenomenon, lest it curtail society's recent advancements in mental health destigmatisation.