Social Media is Spreading Misinformation About Mental Health

Recent stats show that most TokToks related to mental health are misleading or inaccurate to some degree. I've noticed a trend in recent years that my clients will reference inaccurate mental health information as though it's common knowledge, despite the scientifically unsubstantiated aspects of their claims. Today, I thought I'd dive into the misinformation about mental health that's out there on social media a little bit deeper, share relevant statistics, and offer some thoughts about what our role could look like in a context where misleading mental health isinformation is abundant. FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8 Links Mentioned: APA Monitor on Psychology Article: "How to reverse the alarming trend of health misinformation" https://www.apa.org/monitor/2024/07/ending-health-misinformation Plushcare Article: "How Accurate is Mental Health Advice on TikTok?" https://plushcare.com/blog/tiktok-mental-health/ Article: "The MMR vaccine and autism: Sensation, refutation, retraction, and fraud" https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3136032/ Article: "Vaccination as a cause of autism—myths and controversies" https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5789217/ CDC stats for MMR vaccination rates: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/measles.htm World Health Organization Stats on Measles: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/measles Article: "The big issue: Mental health and the TikTok effect” https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/therapy-today/2023/april-2023/the-big-issue/ Article: "Addressing misinformation about mental health with patients” https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/misinformation-mental-health Video: "Are Therapists Full of Themselves? Psychologist Takes Narcissism Test” https://youtu.be/kYaMYr8TQi8 Video: "Processing Personal Challenges While Still Being a Therapist” https://youtu.be/KoLn9XeUZ9Y LINKS *Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely! 👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8 👉 How to DIY a Therapist Website that Fills your Practice: https://privatepracticeskills.teachable.com/ 👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gear This podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to. Website: www.privatepracticeskills.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskills Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/ This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.