Insta-Therapy: A Menace to Mental Health

Esther Holmes    | 11 July 2023|      WWYW Articles

Today, Instagram is one of the world’s most widely used social media platforms.

An estimated 1.6 billion people use the social networking site with most users having multiple accounts [1].

It is a platform which seemingly has everything:  

From celebrities sharing snippets of their personal lives, to shops and hospitality venues. A vast source of memes and pages for pretty much every topic imaginable.

In 2020, when most of the world was spending time indoors and social media was the only way to socialise, a new trend appeared on our news feed and in our stories:

Instagram Therapy.

What is Insta-Therapy?

Simply put, Insta-Therapy is a term used to describe motivational posts, infographics or snippets of advice which have been created for the purpose of alleviating mental health issues, mood disorders or anything that falls outside of what is “neurotypical” [2].

Whilst, some of these posts are created by qualified professionals, most of the time, however, they’re created by influencers who have no qualifications whatsoever [3].

Insta-Therapy pages claim to help their followers by offering advice and tips as well as ways to recognise signs and symptoms of neurotypical conditions [4].  However, are these pages helping their followers? Or are they actually hindering them?

The DSM-V is the world standard manual for diagnosing mental disorders [5]. It is a complex book, and psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals alike will often study for years to gain a thorough understanding of it [6]. Further, they will also study the most effective ways for their patients to manage their mental health, as well as what medications they may have to take [7].

Insta-Therapy is a great tool for people who are feeling isolated, or who are experiencing mental health issues and find content that resonates with them [8]. But it is not a viable option for people who are needing in person therapy sessions, a diagnosis or assistance with managing and living with their condition(s) [9].

The Menace of Mental Health

How do you know what you’re reading is coming from a licenced, qualified and experienced professional, or a blogger (much like myself) who has no real knowledge of what they’re writing about and putting into the world?

In a matter of words: You don’t.

Giving general advice is easy. However, giving advice specific to an individual, while taking into account their lived experience, specific needs as well as their mental and physical health issues is entirely different.

Simply speaking, creating an aesthetic Instagram post is not therapeutic.

It is well documented that the pandemic has caused one of the worst mental health crises the world has ever experienced.

So, you can see how people would use this opportunity to capitalise on this.

Some are being paid every time you interact with a post. Some are creating “courses” where you pay to hear them talk about their experience and what they think or do.' 

An article in Psychology Today discusses how clinically trained psychologists with an Instagram presence believe that the platform is no substitute for therapy, but does hold a valuable space in the therapeutic process:

“As a licensed psychologist with a robust Instagram following, I use the platform to decrease fear and misconceptions about therapy and to show how psychotherapy and psychoanalysis help patients better understand their interactions with themselves, others, and the wider world. My hope is that my Instagram posts may facilitate the next step, like reaching out to a therapist in real life.”

                                               Aimee Martinez, Psy.D. [10]

What do I think?

I have found posts I really enjoy and resonate with. Some have been useful.

While others… Others, if I believed them would have me self-diagnosing as having BPD, Bipolar, Autism and ADHD. I have traits of all of these conditions, just like I have traits of a number of other mental health conditions under the DSM-V.

Mental illness doesn’t present the same in every individual. A correct diagnosis can take years. Finding the right medication, the right psychologist and the right therapeutic technique can take years.

I was first diagnosed in 2010, I have had my diagnosis change, and then change again. Just last month I had another diagnosis added to the list.

Healing is a journey, and it doesn’t happen overnight.

I will spend the rest of my life healing and learning and growing.

It is a process. A process that you need to keep chipping away at.

A few pretty Instagram posts with eloquent wording are not therapy and won’t heal you.

If you or someone you know is going through a tough time, please contact these services:

Emergency Services             000

Suicide Line                          1300 651 251

Suicide Call back Service     1300 659 576

Lifeline                                   13 11 14

BeyondBlue                           1300 22 4636

Kids Helpline                         1800 55 1800

References:
1. ‘Instagram users, stats, data & trends’, DATAREPORTAL (online, 2023) https://datareportal.com/essential-instagram-stats#:~:text=How%20many%20Instagram%20users%20are,the%20world%20in%20April%202023.

2. Aimee Martinez, ‘What is “Insta-Therapy”? Instagram is not therapy but it can be part of the process.”, Psychology Today (online, 4 October 2019)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/psychoanalysis-unplugged/201910/what-is-insta-therapy

3.      Ibid.

4.      Ibid.

5.      Ibid.

6.      Ibid.

7.      Ibid.

8.      Ibid.

9.      Ibid.

10.    Ibid.