World Mental Health Day: is Social Media harming your Mental Health?

Every October, World Mental Health Day (10th October) invites us to reflect on how we understand, support, and respond to mental health struggles.

In 2025, conversations about mental health have exploded online, with TikTok reels and Instagram carousels filling our feeds. While this may seem like progress, as more people talk openly about mental health, something troubling lurks beneath the surface. Ryan Erispe, Head of Clinical at The Cabin, Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Thailand, discusses how to leverage this awareness without allowing it to replace proper mental health care.

Ryan comments: “Social media has become a place where people learn about mental health and diagnose themselves and others. Terms like “narcissist,” “OCD,” “toxic,” and “gaslighting” are often used casually, stripped of their clinical meaning. What was once a medical diagnosis has turned into a buzzword or a weapon in arguments, with unqualified individuals irresponsibly giving recommendations and checklists for diagnosis.”

The danger here is twofold. First, mental health diagnoses are complex and require professional assessment. No Instagram reel, no matter how polished, can capture the nuances of a person’s lived experience, history, biology, and environment.

Self-diagnosing (or diagnosing others) based on a trending video risks overlooking serious conditions, trivializing genuine struggles, or misdirecting people away from appropriate treatment.

Second, the misuse of these terms waters down the reality of those living with diagnosed conditions. When “anxiety” becomes a synonym for being nervous before a presentation, or “OCD” is used to describe neat handwriting, it undermines the lived experiences of those whose conditions are debilitating. It shifts the conversation from empathy to entertainment.

Social Media Impact on Eating Disorders

A powerful example is the impact of social media on those with eating disorders. While it can offer belonging, it also distorts body image and self-worth. Filtered photos and “what I eat in a day” videos set unrealistic standards that shape our self-image. Women feel pressured to appear slim yet toned, while men face damaging ideals of being lean and muscular. This constant exposure fuels dissatisfaction and can worsen eating disorders.

Eating disorders thrive in silence, and social media’s algorithms can deepen that silence. Once a user engages with diet culture or fitness content, the platforms often amplify it, feeding a cycle of comparison and obsession.

This can normalize harmful behaviors such as restriction, bingeing, or excessive exercise, while presenting them as lifestyle choices. For young people in particular, who are still forming their identity and relationship with their bodies, this influence can be profound and dangerous.

It is important to recognize that men are also deeply affected by eating disorders, though their struggles are often overlooked. Conversations typically focus on women, but research shows an increasing risk for men, particularly with the rise of online fitness and bodybuilding culture.

The shame of admitting these struggles, along with stigma around male vulnerability, leaves many suffering in isolation, and social media can magnify both the disorders and the barriers to seeking help.

On World Mental Health Day, we must widen our awareness. Social media does not create eating disorders, but it shapes our self-image and body valuation. Promoting diverse representations and fostering conversations about everyone’s struggles are vital steps to reduce harm from curated feeds. Healing begins when we reclaim social media for authenticity, compassion, and genuine connection.

Social media can positively impact mental health by providing connection and a sense of solidarity. Posts like “You are not broken” or “It’s okay to ask for help” can resonate deeply. Community is important, but it’s not a substitute for treatment or diagnosis. Access to information through social media is invaluable, but ensure the source is a reputable professional rather than someone exploiting mental health for engagement.

Signs social media may be harming you:

• You notice frequent comparisons to others that leave you feeling inadequate, ashamed, or dissatisfied with your body, lifestyle, or achievements.
• Your feed is filled with extreme or rigid health, fitness, or diet content that pushes all-or-nothing thinking.
• You find yourself self-diagnosing mental health conditions based on short clips or memes, without professional input.
• Words like “trauma,” “anxiety,” or “OCD” feel overused in your feed, leaving you confused about what these terms actually mean.
• Logging off leaves you more anxious, restless, or critical of yourself than before you opened the app.
• You avoid seeking professional support because you feel you’ve already found the “answers” online.
• You feel pressured to present a curated version of yourself, rather than showing up authentically.

Signs social media may help you:

• You feel validated and less alone when you see others sharing experiences similar to yours.
• You’ve found supportive online communities that encourage recovery, resilience, or personal growth.
• Following diverse creators has broadened your perspective and challenged narrow definitions of beauty, success, or mental health.
• Content inspires you to take small, positive steps such as journaling, reaching out to a friend, or booking a therapy session.
• You feel empowered by accurate, well-sourced information that adds to (rather than replaces) professional advice.
• You can step away from your feed without distress, and social media doesn’t dominate your self-image or self-worth.

On World Mental Health Day, let’s remember that while social media can start the conversation, it should never be the place where it ends. Real healing requires more than a trending audio clip or a checklist from a stranger online.

It requires trained professionals, evidence-based care, and compassion grounded in understanding, not algorithms. The challenge for all of us is to hold both truths at once: to value the awareness that online spaces bring, while refusing to let them replace the depth and care that mental health truly demands.