S2E8 Mental Health: The pros and pitfalls of diagnosis - with Scarlett Curtis and Kamilah McInnis

Media Storm

Warning: This episode contains mentions of mental illness, suicide, and self-harm.

Recently, doctors have recognised a strange phenomenon: patients turning up with mental health diagnoses in hand. And they all have something in common: social media.

A search of the hashtag #depression on Instagram returns more than 25.3 million posts. On TikTok, the hashtag #BPD (borderline personality disorder) has 3.7 billion views, #ADHD has 14.5 billion views, and #DID (dissociative identity disorder) another 1.5 billion.

This week, Media Storm asks why people are turning to TikTok for help with their mental health, what happens if you get inside an algorithm bubble, and why misdiagnosis can be so dangerous. Plus, host Helena Wadia shares her personal experiences with mental health for the first time.

Author Scarlett Curtis and journalist Kamilah McInnis join in the studio, to discuss the media's portrayal of mental health, the dos and don'ts of reporting on suicide, and why it can feel so good to speak out.

The episode is hosted by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia), produced and researched by Zeynab Mohamed (@zeynabmohamed_)

Guests:

• Zoe Aston @zoeastondotcom
• Thea Rickard @thearickard @thelastnightpodcast
• Lauren Bradley @jointheofficials
• Zeynab Mohamed @zeynabmohamed_
• Scarlett Curtis @scarcurtis
• Kamilah McInnis @KamilahMcInnis

Resources:

• Samaritans.org or call 116 123
• mind.org.uk @mindcharity
• Kiddycharts.com, resources to help with kids’ mental health

Sources:

• Young Women Are Self-Diagnosing Personality Disorders, Thanks To TikTok, by Zeynab Mohamed https://www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/a39573245/young-women-self-diagnose-personality-disorder-tiktok/
• Media reporting on mental illness, violence and crime needs to change https://theconversation.com/media-reporting-on-mental-illness-violence-and-crime-needs-to-change-144856
• Mindframe guidelines on media reporting of severe mental illness in the context of violence and crime https://mindframemedia.imgix.net/assets/src/uploads/MF_Guidelines_Violence_and_Crime_spread_FINAL.pdf
• Mind violence and mental health factsheet https://www.mind.org.uk/media-a/4968/violence-and-mental-health-mind-factsheet-2018.pdf
• Gresham College Press Coverage of Mental Health and Suicide https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/press-coverage-mental-health-and-suicide
• TikTok and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study of Social Media Content Quality https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07067437221082854
• NHS failing patients with mental health problems https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/news-and-blog/news/nhs-failing-patients-mental-health-problems
• Mental health pressures in England, BMA https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/nhs-delivery-and-workforce/pressures/mental-health-pressures-data-analysis

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