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<\/p>\nWithin a few minutes of scrolling through TikTok, the algorithm more familiar with my likes and my interests and my neuroses than my own mother, I\u2019ve absorbed so many pieces of information about mental health that I barely notice that\u2019s what they are.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a woman who says her mother is a narcissist who wouldn\u2019t respect her boundaries and who ruined her wedding.<\/p>\n
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Who needs mental health experts when there are hundreds of people offering advice from the palm of your hand?Credit: Getty<\/p>\n
There\u2019s an influencer who says he\u2019s traumatised by the onslaught of abuse from his followers. It\u2019s triggering, he says. Because of his lived experience.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a 22-year-old sharing the three signs that mean you definitely have ADHD. A mum recalling the moment she received her autism diagnosis. A guy whose voice booms over inspirational music as he proclaims the power of doing \u201cthe work\u201d.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know what \u201cthe work\u201d is, who assigned it, who assesses it, or what happens when you complete it, but apparently everyone is doing it. It\u2019s become the cultural shorthand for figuring yourself out.<\/p>\n
For a long time, doing \u201cthe work\u201d probably included enlisting the help of a psychologist or some other trained professional who might help you identify your thoughts and behaviours, and how they might impact the people around you. Now it\u2019s as simple as listening to self-improvement podcasts, reading the latest book from Mel Robbins or Gabor Mate, or, as I am right now, consuming social media content about mental health.<\/p>\n
The problem, of course, is that most of this social media content is wrong.<\/p>\n