TikTok vs Well-Being
Social media is a fact of life, and I would never counsel a client to completely abstain from it, unless social media addiction is a serious concern in their case.
However, a troubling trend that my younger clients speak about, and that I see portrayed in the media, is the rise of self-styled “mental health experts” on platforms like TikTok. These influencers may have thousands or even millions of followers, but they often have no professional training in therapy, psychology, or psychiatry whatsoever.
Oftentimes these influencers simply read through the DSM criteria for various mental health issues, and present these associated symptoms to their viewers. For those who are not aware, the DSM (or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is considered to be the “Bible of psychiatry.” It contains the criteria required to make mental health diagnoses, such as ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and so on. However, it is not written for lay-audiences. It is designed specifically with mental-health professionals in mind. Reading the DSM without the context of formal mental-health training can lead to a gross misunderstandings of mental health issues that affect millions of Americans.
What’s worse - these influencers often have a blatant and nefarious motivation behind their videos. Their goal is to inform their audiences of the symptoms that go along with mental illnesses so that their viewers can “say the right things” when being interviewed by prescribing professionals. This way, viewers can get access to controlled and often dangerous medications. In other words, these influencers are teaching their audience how to lie in order to obtain narcotics.
This, in turn, taints the treatment relationship between prescriber and client. Now, prescribers must approach new clients with a sense of unease and suspiciousness. While prescribers don’t want to prevent access to these life-saving medications, it is abundantly clear when a new referral is simply reading off the DSM criteria, in hopes of being prescribed a controlled medication.
What do we do about this?
I think the only solution will be in a new crop of mental health inflluencers with actual training and expertise, who aren’t aiming simply to supply their viewers with the information needed to obtain controlled substances. It will also take awareness on the part of the viewership that there is so much more to the field of mental health than simply being presented with a laundry list of symptoms. The emphasis should never be on the symptoms themselves, but why they arose in the first place. Understanding how these symptoms arise usually requires forming an ongoing relationship with a treatment professional.
It is also important to note that medications alone are only part of the solution to any mental health concern. Regardless of the mental health concern, medications work best when combined with therapy, as well as involving family or network members, community and holistic approaches, etc.
For real and lasting change, medications alone are never the answer.
Dr. Sherer
