Is This Really Therapy? How to Spot Harmful Mental Health Content Online

We live in a time where you can open an app, scroll for a few seconds, and suddenly be told that your partner is a narcissist, your mother is toxic, your friend group is abusive, and you probably have five different diagnoses you have never heard of.

Some of that content can be validating or educational. A lot of it is not.

This is where being mindful about what we see on social media really matters, especially when it comes to mental health.

The rise of “therapy talk” online

Therapy related language is everywhere now. Words like trauma, boundaries, attachment style, narcissist, gaslighting, and inner child show up in everyday videos, memes, and trending audio.

Some of this has had a positive impact. Many people are talking more openly about mental health, naming experiences that were once kept in silence, and feeling less alone.

The problem is that a lot of this content is created by people who are not licensed mental health professionals. Some are well meaning and sharing from personal experience. Others are using mental health language mainly for views, likes, and shares. Either way, when advice is not grounded in training, ethics, and real clinical experience, it can easily become misinformation.

Why unvetted advice can be harmful

Unlicensed or unqualified advice about mental health can cause harm in several ways:

1. Oversimplifying complex issues: Many videos try to fit complicated topics into a thirty or sixty second clip. Deep trauma, long term relationship patterns, and mental health conditions cannot be accurately explained that quickly. Important context is lost, and people walk away with half of the story.

2. Encouraging self diagnosis: It is very easy to watch a list of symptoms and think, “That is me.” You may start labeling yourself with a diagnosis that has never been properly assessed. This can create fear, shame, or confusion and sometimes lead you away from the kind of help you actually need.

3. Pathologizing normal human experience: Not every disagreement is abuse. Not every hurt feeling means the other person is toxic. When everything is framed as trauma, people can start doubting themselves, ending relationships that may actually be repairable, or feeling broken when they are having normal emotional responses.

4. Offering one size fits all solutions: A creator might say, “If they do this, you must cut them off” or “If you feel this, it always means that.” Real mental health work is much more nuanced. What is right for one person may be very wrong for another, especially when you consider culture, history, safety, and resources.

5. Replacing real support: The most concerning issue is when people start using social media clips instead of therapy, or instead of talking to trusted people in their life. Following content is not the same as having care that is personalized to you.

Red flags to watch for in mental health content

Not every creator has bad intentions, but there are some warning signs that you may be looking at unhelpful or unsafe advice:

• The person never mentions their credentials, license, or training

• They speak in absolutes, such as “always” and “never”

• They give firm advice without inviting you to consider context or safety

• They diagnose entire groups of people from a distance

• They encourage you to avoid therapy or other forms of professional help

• They make you feel panicked, broken, or hopeless without offering grounded next steps

• Every video seems designed to stir up anger or fear, rather than to support reflection and growth

If you notice several of these together, it is a good time to pause and step back.

How to be a more mindful consumer of mental health content

You do not have to leave social media completely. You can build a healthier relationship with it.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you scroll:

1. Who is this person and what is their training: Are they a licensed therapist, psychologist, social worker, counselor, or other regulated professional. Some creators clearly share their license type and the state or country where they practice. Others may say they are a “coach” or “healer” with no mention of how they were trained. That does not automatically make them harmful, but it does mean you need to be more cautious.

2. What is my emotional reaction: After watching this, do I feel grounded, understood, and gently challenged, or do I feel panicked, enraged, ashamed, or more confused. Helpful content tends to leave you with more clarity, not less.

3. Is this general education or a personal prescription: Education sounds like, “Here are some common signs,” or “These are themes many people notice.” A prescription sounds like, “You need to do this now,” or “If you do not leave right away, you are the problem.” Social media cannot see the full picture of your life, so it cannot tell you exactly what to do.

4. Does this honor nuance and culture: Good mental health information recognizes that family roles, communication styles, and boundaries look different across cultures and communities. If a creator dismisses all of that and insists only their way is healthy, that is a concern.

5. Is this replacing real support: If you catch yourself staying up late binge watching “therapy” videos but never reaching out for actual help, it may be time to check in with yourself and consider what you really need.

What licensed therapists are responsible for that social media is not

Licensed mental health professionals are held to ethical standards and legal responsibilities that random accounts online are not. These include:

• Protecting client confidentiality

• Practicing within their scope of training

• Using approaches supported by research and best practices

• Continuing education to stay current and effective

• Considering risk, safety, culture, and trauma in a thoughtful way

When you work with a therapist, they are not just sharing opinions. They are drawing from training, clinical experience, supervision, and guidelines designed to protect you.

That does not mean every therapist is perfect, or that every licensed professional will be the right fit. It does mean that your care is held to a much higher standard than anything you will get in a comment section or a trending sound.

How to use social media in a healthier way

You can still follow accounts that talk about mental health, as long as you do so with intention. A few ideas:

• Curate your feed so that most of what you see is grounded, supportive, and educational

• Unfollow accounts that make you feel constantly triggered, panicked, or hopeless

• Treat mental health content as a starting point for reflection, not a final answer

• Bring questions or insights from a video into your therapy sessions to process with a professional

• Take regular breaks from scrolling, especially if you notice you are comparing your healing timeline to others

Social media can offer language, validation, and a sense of connection. It is not therapy. It is not assessment. It is not a replacement for real, consistent support.

A gentle reminder

If you have been deeply impacted by things you have seen online, you are not alone. Many people walk into therapy feeling confused or scared because of what they have read or watched. There is nothing wrong with you for wanting answers or searching for relief.

The invitation is simply this: let social media be a tool, not your primary source of mental health care. Be curious, be cautious, and whenever possible, bring your questions to someone whose responsibility is to care for you, not to go viral.