Talking about mental health to young people. Here is the challenge of many online accounts on Instagram and TikTok, platforms preferred by this age group. But if mental health content racks up billions of views, it’s not always up to the health challenge.
Especially since the subject is not always easy to approach. According to a TikTok study conducted on the occasion of Mental Health Day on October 10, 36% of young people between 18 and 24 years old think that their friends and family would judge them if they talked about mental health.
In this context, the social network has launched new resources for its users. The platform highlights trusted resources through the hashtags #MentalHealth or #StressRelief and brings together experts and content creators. The goal is to encourage them to talk about mental health responsibly.
To keep up with the flow of content, here are five accounts that talk about mental health in a serious and sourced way.
Musae, the medium of mental health
“Content that addresses health in an anxiety-provoking way is generally not trustworthy,” observes Christelle Tissot, founder of the outlets. museum tomorrow, interviewed by Tech&Co.
Released in March 2021, Museum Tomorrow addresses the issue of mental health in a way to “de-dramatize and democratize” the issue. Very present on Instagram, the media recently appeared on TikTok. “We see that TikTok is much more sensitive to this type of content than Instagram,” says the founder.
muses, which is also a podcast, wants to set a positive tone about mental health. “It is, above all, about speaking it freely, providing keys of understanding and reliable resources”, explains Christelle Tissot. the account of muses publishes both information related to mental health news, testimonials from personalities and more anonymous people, exchanges with psychologists and links to reliable resources such as associations.
Dr. Julie Smith, the pedagogical approach
On TikTok, Dr. Julie Smith is followed by 4 million people. She is a clinical psychologist and worked for ten years in the British public hospital. Last February, interviewed by The Guardian, noted that his “videos are meant to remind people that what they see on social media isn’t always real. Pay attention to how they feel when they spend time on certain content.” It is about regaining control of the use of social networks.
For its part, it addresses the issue of mental health in a very educational (but in English) and visual way. She uses grains of rice to illustrate the proportion of people who know the term mental health, uses dyes in a glass of water to represent negative thoughts, and even a fictional aquarium to explain what a toxic social environment is. . In The Guardian, she also wants to remember that the videos of him are not a substitute for an appointment with a psychologist.
Nightline, the association that has opted for social networks
Official structures also use social networks to directly raise awareness among young users. This is the case of Nightline France. The association offers a helpline for students. “Since September, Nightline has had the support of TikTok as part of the TikTok program for good acceleration,” Marion Jacquin, head of communication for the association, explains to Tech&Co. The platform advises the association for free during sessions in which the Nightline teams familiarize themselves with TikTok. In this way, when a user searches for mental health content, TikTok highlights Nightline posts.
Nightline addresses young people directly through its two Instagram accounts: Nightline France communicates the association’s actions and Nightline Talks shares resources on mental health.
Thanks to its content, Nightline directs students to resources like this publication, which directs them to an association directory that lists free psychologists. The post exploded in clicks to the directory: +400% in the following hours.
Delphine Py, humor to downplay
“It was my daughter who introduced me to TikTok”, slides the psychologist Delphine Py, interviewed by Tech&Co. Already present on Instagram, she launched her TikTok account at the end of the first confinement and has more than 180,000 subscribers.
His account appears on TikTok as a resource in #mentalhealth, but is not connected to the platform like Nightline.
The psychologist noticed that young people get a lot of information on social networks and no longer through search engines, so we had to go where they are. “The problem with these platforms is that young people don’t know if a content is a source or not, so I wanted to offer reliable content.”
Adopting TikTok codes to target youth requires consuming a lot of content upstream. And to impress the paw of her, Delphine Py chooses to post very short, funny videos and go through humor.
Through his story, he tries to deconstruct “the image of the cold psychologist” and above all he wants to offer a gateway to psychology offices. He “regularly receives messages from young people who have launched themselves into psychiatric practices.” There is still a risk that users go through a self-diagnosis without being followed up afterwards, “however, self-diagnosis is an important first step.”
Delphine Py notes how mental health has appeared in all areas of everyday life and is increasingly being talked about on social media. She therefore advises young users to trust themselves and go for trustworthy accounts. “If you don’t feel comfortable with the content: avoid it at all costs and find out who is delivering the information.”
Leandro Olszanski, the PhD student on TikTok
Almost 3.5 million subscribers on TikTok. A colossal figure for Leandro Olszanski, a doctoral student in psychology in the United States. In 24 hours, his second video accumulates a million views. His account has two goals: to speak to the Latin American community and to target teens and parents alike.
Growing up in Argentina, he observed that the Latino community in the United States does not have access to clinics “because they do not speak the language or because a real connection with the psychologist cannot be established due to the cultural gap,” he explained. on the occasion of a mental health initiative launched by Yahoo. Therefore, he chose to publish his content in Spanish.
His humorous videos illustrate everyday situations about the relationship between parents and adolescents. He got on TikTok thanks to his daughter who gave him the idea and with whom he also observed the lack of communication and understanding between adults and teenagers.
He points to the fact that technology is changing so fast that the gap between young people and their parents is only growing. Older people don’t always understand that the word about mental health is free, especially on social media. “Therefore, in the videos it is necessary to address everyone”, emphasizes Leandro Olszanski. On the podcast he also tries to answer questions from parents and teens, “I try to help as much as I can.”
Apart from these recommendations, it is necessary to ask yourself some questions before following a mental health account: who is talking to me? What are the content creator qualifications? Am I comfortable with the content I am viewing?
Source: BFM TV
