According to a recent article published by Fortune.com, a new movement on Instagram helps people with mental health issues connect with each other and share their struggles. The new movement features specific hashtags and helps mentally ill or depressed individuals find resources for support.
Presenting the Pretty Side of Life
Instagram is well known as a platform where people share only the best and most beautiful things about their lives. Everything presented on Instagram seems to be carefully curated, with photos taken at just the right angles, with just the right lighting and the perfect colour palette. Filters and editing allow people to present a glorified version of their lives, highlighting delicious food, memorable moments, getaways, and snapshots of natural beauty.
What Instagram doesn’t typically show is the grittier parts of life— the parts that are painful, complicated, or hard. Darkness and personal struggle rarely find a voice on the platform. Instagram’s owners recognise this and are taking steps to bring the platform closer to reality with a new campaign.
Designing New Resources
The new Instagram campaign carries the primary hashtag #HereForYou, and it focuses on mental health and emotional support for sufferers. In addition to the #HereForYou hashtag, there are a number of other related hashtags, all dedicated to helping people find mental health resources on Instagram. Encouraging blog posts, helpful tips, and inspiring clips are among the resource someone might find with the hashtag.
Creating Support Groups
One young woman, aged 27, was able to find a community of girls struggling with mental health issues. ” Through Instagram, I was able to connect with other girls who were going through similar things,” she says. She recognises Instagram as a tool for bringing these individuals together and helping them feel like part of a community.
Flagging Mental Health Posts
Instagram also has a feature that allows users to flag a post that seems to indicate a mental health issue. When a user notices something that hints at suicidal tendencies, self-harm, or a serious disorder, the user can anonymously flag that post. Then Instagram sends the original poster some information about mental health organisations that handle those types of issues. This service is of limited use, though the intent is positive.
Recognising Instagram’s Contribution to the Problem
Unfortunately, the existence of Instagram and similar platforms are part of problem for mental health in Singapore and around the world. Too much reliance on online communication and experiences can alienate people from real-world connections and emotional intimacy. Much of the content on Instagram, though beautiful or awe-inspiring at times, can fuel feelings of insufficiency, depression, and anxiety in teens and adults.
Increasing Awareness for Mental Health in Singapore
It’s important to recognise that many teens and adults struggle with poor mental health in Singapore; so online users may need to become more aware of how the things they post affect others. In addition, with the help of Instagram’s new resources and other information,
Singaporeans can learn to recognise the signs of mental illness and offer support rather than judgment. Clinics like Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic, staffed with skilled Singapore psychiatrists, offer a peaceful space where patients can acknowledge their struggles and experience beneficial therapy. If you or a loved one is suffering from addiction, depression, anxiety, or other issues, call our care team and make an appointment today.
News Feed from Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic
Source: Fortune, 8 May 2017
