The following is a summary of “Anxiety is not Cute” analysis of Twitter users’ discourses on romanticizing mental illness,” published in the March 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Issaka et al.
The rise of social media platforms has provided a unique space for having an open discussion on mental health; instead, these platforms have shown a concerning shift towards the romanticization of mental health issues.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to uncover unique perspectives, themes, and language used by Twitter users when engaging in mental health issues.
They used a topic modeling technique and qualitatively analyzed 600 relevant tweets between May 2022 and May 2023. They collected data from Twitter using 4CAT, a reference and analysis tool developed by researchers.
The results identified six primary themes from Twitter users’ discussions. These themes were as follows: Rejecting/Criticizing the glamorization of mental health, monetizing mental health by corporate organizations, societal misconceptions of mental health, the role of traditional media and social media, unfiltered realities of depression, and emphasis on not romanticizing mental health.
Investigators concluded that the romanticization of mental health on Twitter has its concerns and harms. However, responsible and empathetic dialogue is necessary among young users for informed discourse in the digital era.
Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-05663-w