Talking About Mental Health on Social Media

Social media has completely revolutionized the modern world, and it is likely to grow even more in the future. It has not only impacted the lives of adults to a considerable extent but has also created an impact on people from senior age groups.

Plus, it has taken over a large portion of our day. According to an estimate, an average internet user spends 144 minutes using social media and various messaging apps every day, increasing 30 minutes since 2015. Also, an average internet user from Latin America spends more than 3 hours 32 minutes of his day using social media.

Today, it has become the most favorite online activity. According to Statista, over 3.6 billion individuals used social media in 2020, which is expected to rise to nearly 4.41 billion by 2025.

But how often do we talk about one of the biggest challenges prevailing today and has taken 841,000 lives since 1999?

In the United States, 70,630 people died from drug overdoses in 2019. From 2018 (20.7 per 100,000) to 2019, the age-adjusted rate of overdose deaths increased by more than 4% (21.6 per 100,000). A lot of these cases are related to mental health issues as well.

According to WHO, around 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression.

Why Do We Need to Talk About Mental Health on Social Media?

Social media, unfortunately, has become a hub of negative news today, which drains the precious energy that an individual has. Additionally, only a minute number of the population creates positive change through social media.

These positive initiatives can ultimately help a lot of individuals to not only quit the habit of substance abuse but can also encourage them to live healthier lives. For instance, there are fitness pages on Instagram encouraging people to focus on their health and lifestyle and transforming them to become better than before.

These little efforts of adding a positive value can change a lot of lives in the long term. Never be afraid of talking about mental health, substance abuse, and addictions on social media, and ensure that you provide something that can help individuals to overcome such problems.

Addressing Mental Health Issues On Social Media

There are times when we open social media and find rumors, negativity, and hate. What if we take responsibility for not sharing such things and instead promote case studies, posts, and videos that can help alleviate people from their mental traumas.

As humans, we seek encouragement and support from our environment to overcome prevailing problems in our lives. Here are some top ways which you can use to talk about mental health on social media:

• Trending Hashtags on Twitter and Instagram

• Instagram and Snapchat Stories

• Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram posts

• Short videos

Trending Hashtags on Twitter and Instagram

Twitter is a hugely popular social media network that a lot of teenagers use regularly. It has the ability to raise vast levels of mental health awareness. The best strategy to raise awareness is to place relevant mental health-related issues on the trending list.

Several popular hashtags can be used on Twitter to raise awareness about mental health, such as:

• #mentalhealthawareness

• #stopthestigma

• #mentalhealthmatters

• #selfcare

• #mindfulness

• #loveyourself

• #itsoknottobeok

• #suicideawareness

• #endstigma

• #mentalhealthhero

If you are a frequent Twitter user and you already post tweets regarding mental health, these tweets can help someone get inspired and motivated for the next phase of their life, i.e., towards transformation.

Instagram and Snapchat stories

Instagram and Snapchat are the most popular platforms with a userbase of 964.3 and 530 million users. Creating impactful stories on these platforms can help individuals to reclaim the charge of their life and withdraw themselves from such problems.

According to an estimate by WHO, 3.8% of the entire population and 5% of the world’s adults are suffering from some sort of depression today. These types of platform stories can truly become an instrument for change. 

“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram Posts

Posts usually reach more people than stories, and the best part about posts is that they stay forever on your feed. Whenever an individual needs help, they can take references from these posts. We recommend people to share helpful posts on their social media regarding mental health, such as exercises, techniques, etc., which people can learn and implement to get results in their lives.

Short Videos

Today, people are addicted to short content, and it is being both shared and viewed like never before. It is suggested that individuals bring a change by sharing motivational videos that can encourage them to take action that positively impacts their lives.

Important Note:

Sharing posts on social media is sometimes not enough. If you are looking forward to bringing about a massive change in someone’s life, being open to hearing their challenges, experiences, and helping them find a solution is equally important.

There are times when people who want to help others genuinely cannot find platforms to do so. But today, each one of us has a tool that can either transform our life or spoil it like anything. The name of the tool? Social media. The number of social media users has risen significantly, and so has the number of people suffering from mental health. It becomes our duty to spread positivity and support people who are suffering from such problems.

Many people talk about mental health issues on social media, and we can be one of them. While people see social media as a cause of increasing anxiety, it can be a platform to eradicate mental health issues if used well. If you or someone you know is suffering from depression or any mental health issues, do not delay any further. Begin your journey into recovery by calling The Forge today.