The Impact of Social Media on Self-Diagnosis in Adolescents
The Impact of Social Media on Self-Diagnosis in Adolescents
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Issue Date
2023-09-25
Authors
McDowell, Irene
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Abstract
This paper explores the impact of social media on adolescents' self-diagnosis of mental illness. A literature review of recent research on the topic examines the impact of social media, with attention to specific diagnoses and phenomena, including tics, orthorexia, dissociative identity disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Peer-reviewed articles were found using ProQuest, PSYCInfo, PubMed, and Sage via the CityU Library and Google Scholar. The paper highlights how social media platforms can influence an individual to self-diagnose, while at the same time can reduce stigma and provide a sense of community. Therapists working in the field may need to adapt their services to online communities and have open-ended conversations about their adolescent clients' use of social media and understanding of their mental health.
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Keywords
social media , self-diagnosis , adolescents , TikTok , tics , orthorexia , dissociative identity disorder , ADHD