Online, misery loves company; offline, recovery takes work OPINION

NICOLE BOYD online/opinion editor

In an age where mental illness relatability culture reigns online, healthy coping mechanisms are often scoffed at while self-destructive behaviors are seen as “relatable” and “real.”

A myriad of mental illness symptoms become jokes online to the point that an ingroup, or group of people who identify with each other based on common factors, forms around them and people begin to identify with their mental illnesses. This leads to entire internet subcultures related to substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, self-harm and borderline personality disorder, just to name a few.

“...There has been a recognition of [a] vast online ‘neurodivergence’ ecosystem in which classical mental illness symptoms and diagnoses are viewed less as mental health concerns that require professional attention, but rather as consumer identities or character traits that make individuals more sharper and more interesting than others around them,” according to the research paper, “Social media as an incubator of personality and behavioral psychopathology: Symptom and disorder authenticity or psychosomatic social contagion?”

Within these internet subcultures, jokes normalizing unhealthy coping mechanisms receive positive attention in the form of likes and replies, but suggestions such as journaling or going for a walk are received poorly. A common response is that these things won’t cure them.

While that may be true at face value, the real issue here is that in order to recover, you have to be willing to put in the work. Taking medication can be helpful, but for many (myself included,) it’s not enough on its own. Often, other activities such as therapy, finding a hobby, physical activity, yoga or spending time outside are needed in addition to medication to make a true lifestyle change.

Another common complaint is that therapy doesn’t “work.” This can be said for many reasons – not connecting with a therapist or being misdiagnosed – but there are factors that a patient can control. For example, it’s important to be open and honest with your therapist. They are not mind readers and cannot help you if you are not vulnerable about what’s going on. It may be helpful to directly ask them for advice if you would like more to work on between sessions, but in the end, it’s up to you to put those suggestions into practice.

This is not to invalidate the truly difficult feat of recovery. For some, “recovery” in the traditional sense isn’t even possible, but coping and living with a mental illness is. It can be difficult to try healthy coping mechanisms when you’re simply struggling to stay afloat, or in such a dark place that recovery isn’t even a goal. It’s also important to note that recovery isn’t linear, and it doesn’t mean you’ve failed if your mental wellbeing ebbs and flows.

However, brushing off any healthy coping mechanism that might help isn’t going to get you to a better place – and identifying with your mental illness as part of your self-concept likely won’t motivate you to try, either.

Recovery isn’t going to just happen. You have to want it at the very least. If you don’t, maybe you should re-evaluate the content you consume and how it shapes your self-image.