TikTok has been called the therapist's couch of Gen Z. But not all the #mentalhealth info checks out

It's "scroller beware" on #mentalhealth TikTok, where content ranges from informed to misleading, and has the potential to be both helpful or harmful, mental health caregivers say.

Jonathan Shedler, a psychologist and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, says he's concerned about the quality of mental health information on social platforms.

"Unfortunately, what we now have is a lot of people who are representing psychology … who are influencers or digital marketers, who are not serious psychotherapists," said Shedler, who holds a PhD in psychology from the University of Michigan.

"And as flashy and appealing as the messaging is ... it's really not a good source of information."

Social media has been called the psychiatrist couch of Gen Z. There's a seemingly bottomless well of self-proclaimed experts on platforms like TikTok and Instagram sharing content about how to establish boundaries, cope with being triggered, identify toxic behavior and sever ties with a narcissist.

Many mental health professionals have praised TikTok for destigmatizing mental illness and helping people who don't have access to therapy. But the platform has also been criticized for encouraging self-diagnosis, over-using labels and for legitimizing misinformation.

A study published by UBC in early 2022, found that, of the 100 most popular TikTok videos about ADHD, more than half — 52 per cent — were misleading. Another 27 per cent were found to be based on personal experience alone — as opposed to clinical expertise or research — and 21 per cent were classified as useful.

The report also found that the majority of the "useful" videos were created by health-care professionals.  

Shedler concedes that some could find value in such content — people who, for example, don't realize they are on the autism spectrum or that they're struggling with the symptoms of ADHD.

"If that's a gateway to looking into it in a serious way, you know, with a professional, then it's a good, helpful thing," he said.

"I think we get into a problem when people are getting into the business of self-diagnosis, or letting some stranger social media influencer who's never even met them give them a diagnosis. It's not helpful to anyone."

Courtney Tracy, a licensed clinical social worker in California, who posts online as "The Truth Doctor," said she sees it a little differently.

Tracy, who holds a doctoral degree in psychology from California Southern University, said she shares the concern about pathologizing normal things, and labelling people arbitrarily. 

"At the same time, it is clear that we have been searching the world for language to describe our pain, and for so long that language was only pathologized and classified and stuck in a book," she said.