Mental health

On June 25, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory declaring that gun violence is a public health emergency and cited data demonstrating that gun violence negatively impacts mental health. Within hours, several news outlets covered the advisory, and conversations about it spread across multiple social media platforms. The official...

This week, a celebrity news website reported on the singer Usher’s strict exercise routine and diet, which involves intermittent fasting. A post on X shared the article with text that reads, “People be having eating disorders and call it everything BUT that.” The post received more than 644,000...

Last week, multiple sports news outlets reported that professional soccer player Lionel Messi recently opened up about his experience seeking mental health treatment. Messi said that while he was initially reluctant to see a psychologist, “...it did me a lot of good, I really liked it, and it helped me....

June is Men's Mental Health Awareness Month, and recent social media posts about men’s mental health gained widespread attention across platforms. A popular Instagram account shared a post urging men to seek mental health support. The post received more than 1.3 million likes, and several comments...

May is Older Americans Month, “a time to recognize older Americans' contributions, highlight aging trends, and reaffirm commitments to serving the older adults in our communities.” This year’s theme is “Powered by Connection.” Throughout the month, government agencies, community organizations, and social media users have been sharing how...

A recent viral social media post from psychologist and author Jordan Peterson falsely claimed that gender-affirming health care causes children to die by suicide. As of May 16, the post received 941,800 views, 34,000 likes, and 6,700 shares. Recommendation: Trending conversations about gender-affirming health care for transgender...

A recent New York Times article highlighted research suggesting that youth mental health education campaigns in schools are not helping young people with mental health issues and are instead encouraging incorrect “self-labeling” with mental illnesses. Experts quoted in the article expressed a need to improve access to youth mental health...

Last week, a National Football League player died by suicide at 28 years old. His death sparked conversation on social media about men’s mental health. Some comments on posts about the player’s death said men need more mental health support. Others falsely claimed COVID-19 vaccines cause mental illness...

Last week, a BBC article about the ADHD medication shortage began circulating on multiple social media platforms. In response to the article, some social media users shared unproven alternatives to ADHD medication for those who are struggling to access their prescriptions, such as psilocybin and CBD gummies, while others falsely...

A recent article outlined state and local government efforts to address the surge in mental illness among young people and investigated potential driving forces behind the crisis. In response to the article, political commentator Charlie Kirk shared a viral social media post claiming that COVID-19 lockdowns, political indoctrination in schools,...