In this post, I write about the harm of social media and mental health in the modern world.

Please watch this video - the desire to be sad: “tragically beautiful” art & romanticizing mental illness by oliSUNvia

As a psychology student, I am passionate about mental health. Understanding the inner workings of the human mind is incredibly fascinating, rewarding, and meaningful to me. 

This video in particular is remarkably fascinating. In my younger generation, mental illness is romanticized (viewed as “trendy” and “interesting”), and I can’t even begin to describe how damaging that is to people silently suffering. Disorders such as anxiety, depression, EDs, suicidal ideation, and mood disorders are often romanticized. Notice how disorders such as schizophrenia or psychopathy are almost never included in this romanticization. Physical illnesses such as cancer or injuries leading to paralysis are also never included. Why is it okay to romanticize Hannah Baker’s suicide but not Augustus Waters’ cancer? The double standard could not be more glaring. And it’s disgusting. 

Yet I once was blind to this. When I was a younger adolescent, all I cared about was feeling different. I quickly developed this inner sense of suffering that made me feel like I was important. 

I hate to admit this type of thing, but I can not just share the highlights of my life. I used to essentially love sadness. Just like Olivia in this video, when I was 14 and 15, I was a pitiful young adolescent who loved to feel like this sad and broken girl. I would post cryptic and cynical quotes constantly. If I was feeling extra dramatic, my selfies were dramatic and depressing. I liked the feeling of thinking others might be worried for me. I absorbed toxic advice from online social media sites from people I thought could relate to and I secretly wanted people to ask about it so I could tell them and get attention. It made me feel special. 

At the time, I accepted it. But now I know, as a young adult, that this was not healthy. My angstiness and cynicism did nothing to bring value to my life. Once I started to grow up a little more, I started to come out of this toxic mindset, and my life started to get so much better. I was starting to realize my potential. I’m so thankful I have grown out of this angsty phase of my life—it seems most adolescents love to be in such a phase, which is actually a very interesting research topic I’d like to look into.
As covered in this video, perhaps without some sort of sadness, tragedy, or mental illness defining their lives, maybe the problem is that young people don’t feel valuable just as they are. This is what I was dealing with when I was 14. It is truly pathetic. I wanted to be seen as interesting when I was taking up space away from others who might have desperately needed it. Many people might be silently suffering and don’t know where to ask for help because they are scared of being included in the group of people who flaunt their long list of mental illnesses like novelties. Stop. Mental illness is not a trendy hashtag. While I myself have never suffered from a mental illness, I have the sense to know that it ruins people’s lives and ends lives. Mental illness is serious—so why do I see it being treated like a unique label everywhere I turn? I think popular media and social platforms can answer that one. 

I almost directly contributed to this mess because of my selfish desire to be broken and sad. 

If I had continued down the way I was going at 14, God. I don’t even know where I would be. I was so desperate to be treated like a victim of issues I did not actually have. I’m not a victim. My life is hard and I have been through some difficult moments. I am so fortunate to have a supportive family because, without them, I might still be in that old, toxic mindset. Because I am not a broken girl who needs to be saved. I never was. All I needed was to love myself a little bit more and understand that I deserve so much more than what I was letting myself experience. I’m more than enough just as I am, and as I said, the idea of acting all tragic and unpleasant is just so awful to me now. 

Anyone who implies to you the only way you can feel loved or get attention if you have a diagnosis (mental or physical, for that matter) is not your friend. People like that on the internet do NOT truly care for your well-being. I almost lost my identity and the strong person I truly am—all thanks to social media, tv shows, and music portraying mental illness as a God damn trend. 

To finish this up, I want to make it clear that in no way do I intend to stigmatize or invalidate anyone’s genuine mental health issues. I know people who struggle with it and it is so difficult to witness. I admire their strength in continuing each day because it is inspiring and a testament to the resilient human will.♥️ If you do have a mental illness, I wish you nothing but healing and support from people in your life. Recovery is possible. You are stronger than you can even know. Awareness is so important, so it should definitely be spread around. I think everyone should have access to reliable mental health information. Everyone should also be able to see a therapist. You shouldn’t have to be in a crisis to get support if you need it. It is nothing to be ashamed of. I would even argue that if therapy had been more readily available before social media, the mental illness epidemic would not be the mess that it is today. 

The bottom line is that there is a very fine line between awareness and romanticization. Unfortunately, it seems my generation has taken a sudden, and terrifying left turn to the latter.

—Essay by Samantha Fuchsgruber 

Date // 16. August 2022

@LockheartArdenPublishing