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Each Post Matters: A content analysis of #mentalhealth images on Instagram
Abstract
This study examined mental health-related content on a popular visual-based social media platform, Instagram. A content analysis was completed by using the search term ‘#mentalhealth’ on public Instagram posts (N = 758). Our data showed that wellness practices related to mental health (e.g. exercise, healthy eating), anxiety, and depression are the most addressed mental health topics on Instagram. Additionally, posts that mention at least one type of mental health problem seek peer support and engagement from other users at a higher rate compared to posts that do not mention mental health disorder or topic (beyond the search term #mentalhealth). We discussed these findings in detail, as well as their theoretical and practical implications and the limitations of this study. We also suggested avenues for further research to promote evidence-based health communication techniques tailored to current visual-based social media platforms.
... A first process through which people may be confronted with such messages is by consulting profiles and posts from other social media users. Overall, we distinguish between three impactful socialization agents: peers (Holmberg et al., 2016;Lee et al., 2020), social media influencers (Hendriks et al., 2020;Reade, 2021;Vranken et al., 2022), and health organizations (Boulos et al., 2016;Klassen et al., 2018). ...
... The first important socialization agent who can disclose health-related content on Instagram is peers. According to content analytic research, peers share content that can be detrimental or beneficial to people's health (Hendriks et al., 2018;Holmberg et al., 2016;Jebeile et al., 2021;Lee et al., 2020). On the one hand, detrimental content can be seen as content displaying unhealthy behavior, ranging from alcohol portrayals referring to alcohol in a positive context to excessive weight loss imagery (e.g., pro-ana) and non-core food messages (i.e., food that is high in energy and low in nutrients) (Hendriks et al., 2018;Holmberg et al., 2016;Jebeile et al., 2021). ...
... Beneficial content, on the other hand, often includes content that can boost adolescents' health. This can, for example, consist of general mental health and wellness messages (e.g., eating healthy, exercising, general protective healthy habits) to messages addressing specific mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts (Lee et al., 2020). These messages, in turn, often also include engagement claims or personal testimonials and/or address health promotion and peer support (Lee et al., 2020). ...
... In the past two decades, researchers have paid significant attention to the examination of visual framing of various health issues, including mental health, obesity, suicide, diabetes, and COVID-19, in newspapers and social media (Alcíbar, 2018;Guidry et al., 2021;Heuer et al., 2011, Hussain, 2022Lee et al., 2020;Patterson & Hilton, 2013;Xu et al., 2022). However, polio remains endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan, resulting in limited interest from global health and visual communication researchers. ...
... However, while realizing the significant contributions of images in shaping health-related persuasive messaging, scholars have increasingly directed their attention toward understanding the role of visual information in various health contexts. Several studies indicate that visuals, including images and graphics, have a positive impact on health outcomes and can facilitate behavioral changes (Heuer et al., 2011;Hussain, 2022;King, 2015;Lee et al., 2020;Patterson & Hilton, 2013). Consequently, these studies emphasize the need for more research in this field (Guenther et al., 2021;Hussain, 2022;King, 2015;Lipkus, 2007;McWhirter & Hoffman-Goetz, 2014;Zikmund-Fisher et al., 2008). ...
... To ensure systematic coding procedure and analysis, a codebook with specific coding schemes was developed incorporating both inductive and deductive approaches of selected method based on prior literature in visual health communication and visual framing. Building on previous research on visual framing and health communication (Guenther et al., 2021;King, 2015;Lee et al., 2020;Patterson & Hilton, 2013), members of the research team reviewed a subset (n = 23; 20%) of the 115 images to refine coding schemes for this research. Consistent with definitions of visual framing and past studies using visual framing (e.g., Coleman, 2010;Seo & Ebrahim, 2016), we analyzed which aspects of the main issue (in this case, polio) were emphasized in the images selected for this study as well as structural characteristics of those images. ...
Polio vaccine hesitancy remains high in Pakistan due to various socio-political, religious, and economic factors. To address this, the government of Pakistan and its international partners such as UNICEF have devised a multipronged communication strategy to counter resistance to polio vaccine in hard-to-reach areas of the country. In this strategy, mainstream news media has been identified as a key stakeholder, as they have the potential to reach a wide range of population and disseminate easy to understand messages including both visuals and text. However, less scholarly attention has been paid to how mainstream news media in Pakistan frame polio and polio vaccine in their visuals. This study aims to fill this gap. Using visual framing as a theoretical framework, we analyzed 115 images from three selected newspapers published from 2010 to 2022. Our results suggest that the newspapers depicted hard-to-reach areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province which were more affected by polio and highlighted the criminality and securitization of polio vaccine in the country. In addition, female polio healthcare workers, who are instrumental in eradicating the disease, have been given marginal coverage, reflecting the importance of gender sensitivity in the region. Overall, this study contributes to the fields of visual communication, health communication, and international communication, particularly related to the Global South.
... The study on mental health descriptions on Instagram reveals complex situations. Lee et al. (2020) found that exercise, healthy eating, anxiety, and depression related to mental health are the most popular mental health themes on Instagram. While Lindgren and Johansson (2023) emphasized that the platform tends to emphasize posts on casual snapshots of individual rehabilitation. ...
... Griffith et al. (2021) found that figurative art and artists' experiences are used as a means of raising awareness of individual mental health. Although, the study has found that posts that mention at least one type of mental health issue seek peer support and engagement from other users at a higher rate than posts that do not mention mental health disorders or topics (Lee et al. 2020). However, a study by Budenz et al. (2022) showed that participants exhibited aversion to posting mental health information on Instagram, stating that public and self-shame were barriers to disclosure. ...
As global attention to mental health issues increases, its media portrayal becomes increasingly important. This literature review explores the representation of mental health in the media. The study found that the media plays a key role in shaping the public’s views on mental health issues. Positive media reports can help increase public awareness, reduce stigma, and promote help-seeking behaviors and policy improvements. However, negative reports may deepen misunderstandings and prejudices, increase stigma, and hinder people from seeking help. Several topics including violence and threats have become common themes in media reports on mental health issues. In addition, the portrayal of mental health on social media is emphasized, which provides a platform for discussing mental health issues, but also brings challenges to information authenticity and privacy protection. Social media interactions can provide support for mental health issues, but negative comments and cyberbullying may exacerbate the problem. The significance of this literature review is to provide theoretical support for improving media coverage and formulating public strategies, calling on media practitioners to report mental health issues in a responsible manner to promote healthier public attitudes and more effective policy interventions.
... Content analysis was chosen as the method for this study, as it is a systematic and replicable approach to data categorisation [22] that is frequently used in health and wellness studies to analyse content on Instagram [23][24][25][26][27][28]. While Australian-based studies have investigated the type of content posted on Instagram about endometriosis [15], to the best of the authors' knowledge, no studies have analysed the evidence-based nature of this content. ...
... A total of 515 posts were collected and de-identified from #changetheguidelines (n = 65), #endowarrior (n = 198), and #endometriosisawarenessmonth (n = 252) for analysis. The unit of analysis for each Instagram post included the visual image used, the caption, and the hashtag(s) [25]. Posts were de-identified by placing the content of the post within a spreadsheet, with identifiable information such as account usernames removed. ...
Social media platforms are used for support and as resources by people from the endometriosis community who are seeking advice about diagnosis, education, and disease management. However, little is known about the scientific accuracy of information circulated on Instagram about the disease. To fill this gap, this study analysed the evidence-based nature of content on Instagram about endometriosis. A total of 515 Instagram posts published between February 2022 and April 2022 were gathered and analysed using a content analysis method, resulting in sixteen main content categories, including “educational”, which comprised eleven subcategories. Claims within educational posts were further analysed for their evidence-based accuracy, guided by a process which included fact-checking all claims against the current scientific evidence and research. Of the eleven educational subcategories, only four categories (cure, scientific article, symptoms, and fertility) comprised claims that were at least 50% or greater evidence-based. More commonly, claims comprised varying degrees of evidence-based, mixed, and non-evidence-based information, and some categories, such as surgery, were dominated by non-evidence-based information about the disease. This is concerning as social media can impact real-life decision-making and management for individuals with endometriosis. Therefore, this study suggests that health communicators, clinicians, scientists, educators, and community groups trying to engage with the endometriosis online community need to be aware of social media discourses about endometriosis, while also ensuring that accurate and translatable information is provided.
... This spreads misinformation amongst the audiences of these posts. This may be seen as proof that hashtags give users a way to join groups outside of their direct contacts, especially for groups defined by mental conditions or rather uncommon interests [13,14]. ...
... Most BD tweets were expressions of emotional/esteem support, in which users wrote messages empathizing with others or encouraging self-efficacy [15,16]. In another study by Lee et al., 2020, 27.2% of Instagram posts (206 posts) that were analyzed featured a message from a person who testified about their experience with mental health [14]. ...
Introduction
Bipolar disorder is a chronic and recurring condition marked by fluctuations in both energy and mood that can be debilitating to individuals without treatment. While physicians clinically diagnose the condition, patients frequently seek information from alternate channels. Social media platforms, such as Instagram, have facilitated more convenient access to supplementary information about bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, there is apprehension regarding the accuracy of publicly disseminated information through these platforms. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy and dependability of information about Bipolar disorder found on the social media platform, Instagram.
Methodology
A cross-sectional observational study was conducted by gathering data from Instagram posts linked with popular bipolar disorder hashtags. To evaluate the credibility of the chosen entries, numerical ratings were assigned to each post using the established measurement scales of the Global Quality Score and Reliability Score.
Results
After analyzing 196 Instagram entries about Bipolar Disorder that fulfilled inclusion criteria, the study revealed that 70.4% (n=138) of these posts were shared by individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Among the content posted by these individuals, a statistically significant global quality score of 2 and a reliability score of 1 were observed.
Conclusions
Verified medical information of superior global quality should be shared on social media platforms by accountable parties. Individuals with further inquiries about medical knowledge should be advised to reach out to local physicians.
... Researchers have found that Instagram offers an important source of mental health information and support for its users. Much of this research has focused on scraping and coding platform content, typically sourced through hashtags (Gupta & Ariefdjohan, 2021;Lee et al., 2020;McCosker & Gerrard, 2021), and most of this research has not focused on LGBTQ+ young people. This paper responds to this by engaging with Australian LGBTQ+ young people via a qualitative survey and interviews, to discuss how peer support for mental health plays out through their use of social media platforms. ...
When surveyed and interviewed about digital peer support for mental health, LGBTQ+ young people in Australia, aged 16-25 years, most commonly named Instagram as the most supportive social media platform. Most of the 36 interview participants described how Instagram affords mental health support in varied ways, from regular engagement with supportive friends, to following and engaging with accounts that promote LGBTQ+ mental health. The feature of Close Friend Stories was particularly highlighted as affording easy access to friendship support when needed, and allowed a signaling of support without having to ask for it. Many discussed how Close Friend Stories afforded ‘mental health posting’ – for themselves and/or friends – that allayed concerns about burdening friends with mental health struggles, and offered assurance that only friends with the capacity to offer support could do so. This paper argues that the Close Friends feature operates through friendship’s ‘ambient co-presence’ on Instagram, among young LGBTQ+ users, offering space for vulnerable posting. This paper engages with theories of digital co-presence and intimacy, to consider the intimate logic of vulnerable posting and subsequent support among LGBTQ+ young people who use Instagram.
... Meanwhile, using the hashtag #mentalhealthawareness generates 11 million posts on Facebook and 22.6 million posts on Instagram. Among the most common mental health topics addressed in Instagram posts include wellness practices related to mental health, anxiety, and depression (Lee et al., 2020). ...
This study provides a systematic review of literature related to social media use for youth mental health awareness and help-seeking attitudes. By adopting the Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews (SPAR-4-SLR) protocol, 1418 peer-reviewed articles published in academic journals between January 2018 and February 2023 were identified and acquired from Google Scholar and Web of Science databases using keyword searching techniques. The retrieved articles were then organized and purified to exclude the articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria. Of these, only12 articles were eligible for evaluation, using content analysis and thematic analysis. In the context of mental health, our review revealed two themes of social media use, which were for seeking mental health information and seeking emotional support. It was also found that social media use has the potential to enhance mental health awareness and shape positive help-seeking attitudes among youth. Research gaps were identified in relation to the mediation mechanism of mental health awareness through which social media use is related to help-seeking attitudes, particularly in the context of a specific social media visual platform like Instagram. Derived from these findings, we offer research directions to further investigate the role of Instagram in developing youth help-seeking attitudes via mental health awareness.
... Efek positif dan negatif akan didapatkan saat seseorang mengungkapkan tentang kesehatan mental di media sosial (Lee et al., 2020). Pengguna Instagram akan berbagi pengalaman mereka dengan foto atau ilustrasi terkait kesehatan mental sebagai ekspresi diri (Kisner, 2017). ...
Kesehatan mental merupakan prospek yang sangat penting dalam kesehatan. Banyak orang yang menyadari potensi mereka terkena mental illness yang memungkinkan dalam kesehatan mental yang baik Media sosial menjadi tempat berekpresi terhadap diri sendiri dan sarana edukasi tentang kesehatan mental, salah media sosial Instagram. Pengguna Instagram di Indonesia sudah mencapai 33,90 juta jiwa dan generasi Z Indonesia memposisikan urutan kedua sebagai pengguna Instagram terbanyak di Indonesia. Instagram mempunyai banyak tempat sarana untuk memberi edukasi atau pengetahuan tentang Kesehatan mental, salah satu Instagram yang mengangkat tentang kesehatan mental di sekitar. Studio Djiwa merupakan akun Instagram yang menjadi sarana pengetahuan tentang Kesehatan mental berbentuk infografis komik memiliki 82,3rb pengikut dan 246 postingan yang diunggah. Pada penelitian ini, peneliti mengamati konten Instagram studio djiwa dengan populasi 246 postingan dan 150 sampel menggunakan uji validitas dan reliabilitas, uji frekuensi, dan uji Chi-Square. Data tersebut dikumpulkan dengan sejak postingan pertama yaitu tanggal 20 Mei 2020 – 28 Maret 2022, seluruh postingan studio djiwa dijadikan populasi untuk dianalisis. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, ditemukan bahwa komposisi gambar dari konten Instagram studi djiwa di dominasikan oleh infografis dan jenis masalah kesehatan mental di dominasikan oleh disorder. Selanjutnya, terdapat hubungan antara variabel kesehatan mental dengan klaim p<0.05 dan tidak terdapat hubungan antara variabel kesehatan mental dengan identitas kelompok sosial disebabkan p>0,05.
Mental health content on social media usually highlights positive emotions, especially hope. This article presents an experimental study on the effects of hopeful social media posts on Instagram. Drawing on appraisal theory and the phenomenon of spillover effects, we developed a 2 × 2 between-subjects post-test experiment, where we manipulated the message type (i.e., hope message vs. control condition) and the level of endorsement (i.e., high vs. low number of likes) of Instagram posts. Following exposure to our media stimuli, we studied the effects on subsequent levels of hope, life satisfaction, mental health stigma, willingness to disclose about mental health, and willingness to provide support on social media among a sample of n = 479 young adults ( M age = 20.97 years, SD = 2.10). Our pre-registered analysis revealed no significant main or interaction effects in the predicted direction. We discuss the findings in the context of health communication, reflect the study’s limitations, and provide suggestions for future research.
Background
The onset of mental health problems peaks between adolescence and young adulthood; however, young people face barriers to treatment and are often reluctant to seek professional help. Many are instead seeking support and information regarding their mental health via the Web, especially via social networking sites (SNSs), and hence, there is a promising opportunity to use SNSs to deliver or integrate with youth-focused online mental health interventions. Previous reviews have evaluated the effectiveness of SNSs for specific disorders in young people; however, none of the reviews have covered the breadth of SNS–based youth mental health interventions available across all mental health issues.
Objective
This review aimed to systematically identify available evidence regarding the use of SNS–based interventions to support the mental health of young people aged up to 25 years, to evaluate their effectiveness, suitability, and safety, and identify gaps and opportunities for future research.
Methods
The PubMed and PsycINFO databases were searched using Medical Subject Headings terms and exploded keywords and phrases. Retrieved abstracts (n=974) were double screened, yielding 235 articles for screening at the full-text level. Of these, 9 articles met the review inclusion criteria. Given the small number of studies, and the variety of outcome measures used, a quantitative meta-analysis was not possible.
Results
The 9 articles (quantitative studies, qualitative studies, and descriptions of the iterative design process) covered 5 separate interventions. Of the 5 interventions, 2 interventions used purpose-built platforms based on the moderated online social therapy (MOST) model, 2 used Facebook, and 1 evaluated a purpose-built mobile app. The 2 MOST interventions targeted specific mental health issues (depression and psychosis), whereas the others focused on improving mental health literacy, social support, and general well-being. Only 3 quantitative studies were identified, and all used a pre-post design (without a control group) to establish proof of concept. Of the outcome variables assessed, there were significant improvements in mental health knowledge and number of depressive symptoms but no improvement in anxiety or psychosis symptoms. Acceptability of and engagement with the SNS platforms were generally high, as were perceptions of usefulness and safety. Moderation by clinical experts was identified as a key component of the more successful interventions. When offered a choice, users showed a preference for mobile apps over Web-based interfaces.
Conclusions
The evidence reviewed suggests young people find SNS–based interventions highly usable, engaging, and supportive. However, future studies need to address the current lack of high-quality evidence for their efficacy in reducing mental health symptoms. Given young people are already turning to SNSs to engage in knowledge seeking and peer-to-peer support, SNS–based youth mental health interventions provide an opportunity to address some of the barriers young people face in accessing qualified mental health support and information.
Problem/condition:
Suicide is a public health problem and one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Substantial geographic variations in suicide rates exist, with suicides in rural areas occurring at much higher rates than those occurring in more urban areas. Understanding demographic trends and mechanisms of death among and within urbanization levels is important to developing and targeting future prevention efforts.
Reporting period:
2001-2015.
Description of system:
Mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) include demographic, geographic, and cause of death information derived from death certificates filed in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. NVSS was used to identify suicide deaths, defined by International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) underlying cause of death codes X60-X84, Y87.0, and U03. This report examines annual county level trends in suicide rates during 2001-2015 among and within urbanization levels by select demographics and mechanisms of death. Counties were collapsed into three urbanization levels using the 2006 National Center for Health Statistics classification scheme.
Results:
Suicide rates increased across the three urbanization levels, with higher rates in nonmetropolitan/rural counties than in medium/small or large metropolitan counties. Each urbanization level experienced substantial annual rate changes at different times during the study period. Across urbanization levels, suicide rates were consistently highest for men and non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives compared with rates for women and other racial/ethnic groups; however, rates were highest for non-Hispanic whites in more metropolitan counties. Trends indicate that suicide rates for non-Hispanic blacks were lowest in nonmetropolitan/rural counties and highest in more urban counties. Increases in suicide rates occurred for all age groups across urbanization levels, with the highest rates for persons aged 35-64 years. For mechanism of death, greater increases in rates of suicide by firearms and hanging/suffocation occurred across all urbanization levels; rates of suicide by firearms in nonmetropolitan/rural counties were almost two times that of rates in larger metropolitan counties.
Interpretation:
Suicide rates in nonmetropolitan/rural counties are consistently higher than suicide rates in metropolitan counties. These trends also are observed by sex, race/ethnicity, age group, and mechanism of death.
Public health action:
Interventions to prevent suicides should be ongoing, particularly in rural areas. Comprehensive suicide prevention efforts might include leveraging protective factors and providing innovative prevention strategies that increase access to health care and mental health care in rural communities. In addition, distribution of socioeconomic factors varies in different communities and needs to be better understood in the context of suicide prevention.
• Comorbid depression and anxiety disorders occur in up to 25% of general practice patients.
• About 85% of patients with depression have significant anxiety, and 90% of patients with anxiety disorder have depression.
• Symptomatology may initially seem vague and non‐specific. A careful history and examination with relevant investigations should be used to make the diagnosis.
• Once the diagnosis is made, rating scales may identify illness severity and help in monitoring treatment progress.
• Both the depression disorder and the specific anxiety disorder require appropriate treatment.
• Psychological therapies, such as cognitive behaviour therapy, and antidepressants, occasionally augmented with antipsychotics, have proven benefit for treating both depression and anxiety.
• Benzodiazepines may help alleviate insomnia and anxiety but not depression. They have dependency and withdrawal issues for some people, and may increase the risk of falls in older people.
• Despite the availability of treatments, 40% of patients with depression or anxiety do not seek treatment, and of those who do, less than half are offered beneficial treatment.
While health communicators often study strategic health messages, investigations of how visual message elements complement or inhibit persuasive efforts are sparse in the literature. Visual juxtapositions, which refer to one visual presentation featuring two images placed next to each other, are one such visual element. In the context of improving public communication efforts related to promoting healthy dietary choices, we use visual persuasion theory and exemplification theory to test whether different visual juxtapositions influence message recipients’ expectations to share message content and reduce their consumption of unhealthy products (i.e., sugary drinks and salty foods). We carried out two studies, each a two-wave, longitudinal randomized experiment, to test for direct effects and assess the potential for indirect or delayed associations of visual persuasion appeals using visual juxtapositions. We consistently observed that a similarity visual juxtaposition evoked higher levels of surprise and expectations to share message content than a comparison juxtaposition or control condition immediately following message exposure; however, visual juxtapositions had no direct effects on unhealthy consumption expectations immediately following exposure or one-week following exposure. Levels of surprise were associated with both intended outcomes in the short-term (increased message sharing expectations) and unintended outcomes in the longer-term (increased consumption expectations). Overall, the study offers insights into the effects and associations of visual juxtapositions on message processing and persuasion outcomes, as well as raises questions about how to apply visual persuasion concepts and improve theorizing related to visual persuasion in health communication contexts.
Skilled, ethical use of social media can advance social justice, impact policy, engage and educate the community, and elevate social workers. To assure that MSW students develop these skills, we created an assignment that required students to use a professional social media profile to advocate for a cause or policy based on findings from a needs and strengths assessment conducted as a group project. We used class discussion, readings, and online tutorials to support students’ learning. We conducted a pretest–posttest evaluation and found a statistically significant increase in competency and knowledge of written and unwritten rules of each platform. Our recommendations for implementing the assignment include encouraging students to develop a professional presence on the platform earlier and requiring tutorials.
This paper draws on two theories — Uses and Gratification and the James–Lange theory of emotion — to investigate gender differences in Instagram hashtag use. The study content analyzes 1382 Instagram posts with the hashtag #Malaysianfood, and categorizes them as informative/emotional and positive/negative. The results show that compared to male users, female users tend to use emotional and positive hashtag descriptions. This study also finds a positive relationship between the number of hashtags used and both the number of followers and likes. Finally, the results suggest a high satisfaction with Malaysian foods based on the number of positive and negative hashtags. Academically, this study adds to the limited Instagram and hashtag literature, expands the online gender behavior literature to hashtags and introduces hashtag sentiment to measure user satisfaction. Companies should consider gender preferences in Instagram, and other social media, hashtag use to attract and keep target customers.
This qualitative study examined descriptions of social media use among 23 adolescents (18 female, 5 male) who were diagnosed with depression to explore how social media use may influence and be influenced by psychological distress. Adolescents described both positive and negative use of social media. Positive use included searching for positive content (i.e. for entertainment, humor, content creation) or for social connection. Negative use included sharing risky behaviors, cyberbullying, and for making self-denigrating comparisons with others. Adolescents described three types of use in further detail including “oversharing” (sharing updates at a high frequency or too much personal information), “stressed posting” (sharing negative updates with a social network), and encountering “triggering posts.” In the context of treatment, these adolescents shifted their social media use patterns from what they perceived as negative to more positive use. Implications for clinicians counseling depressed adolescents on social media use are discussed.