Introduction: Throughout the current generation of media and technology, the incessant stigmatizing of mental health illnesses and disorders has become increasingly prevalent. When examining the repercussions of a world where disorders are exacerbated and vilified, there are a few aspects that take precedence: romanticizing disorders, self-diagnosing, and the spread of misinformation. The National Library of Medicine states, “While traditional media has often been criticized for villainizing characters with mental illness, the new-age social media depiction of mental illness carries with it a sense of ‘creative mystique’- painting mental illness with a glorified aesthetic in segments of society exposed to such media.

Glorification & Trivialization: Media, social and physical, has generated a misleading facade regarding mental health, displaying mental health disorders as an “aesthetic” or “cute” character trait as opposed to a debilitating illness. Now, a significant amount of social media users view it “trendy” to be mentally ill, creating videos depicting someone who’s feeling moody one day and labelling it Borderline Personality Disorder.

Furthermore, the exhibitionistic nature of those feeding into the social media mental health propaganda diminishes the awareness provided for individuals actually suffering. In turn, those suffering no longer feel that their concerns are validated due to the increased downplaying of illnesses or disorders that severely impact the daily life of people with the illness or disorder.

Both phenomenons previously depicted are demonstrated via various phrases frequently heard. Statements like “I’m so OCD” or “it’s my ‘tism” trivialize the struggles endured by clinically diagnosed individuals, thus distorting the jarring reality of living with an enervative disorder/illness. 

Although the derogation of mental health may seem harmless, a study titled “Anxiety is Not Cute” proves otherwise: “When symptoms are trivialized or dismissed, individuals may feel invalidated or reluctant to seek professional help, fearing that their concerns will not be taken seriously” (National Library of Medicine).

Self-Diagnosis: By romanticizing the symptoms or supposed diagnosis of mental health disorders, consumers of media see snippets of what it’s like to have an illness and instantly assume that since they identify with one potentially inaccurate characteristic of the disorder, they automatically have said illness. This conclusion is often jumped to prior to the conduction of further research or consultation with a medical professional. As a result, people develop performative disorders in an attempt to obtain attention or conform to what’s viewed as a “trending” illness.

Additionally, social media consumers become so engrossed with the diagnosis they believe they qualify for that they will continue to watch videos or engage in online activities to “prove” they have it: “They will look up quizzes and symptom checklists to see if they meet the criteria for whatever they think they have. And it’s not always reliable because kids, and even adults, can be manipulated to put answers that they think the quiz or checklist wants them to say” (University of Utah Health).

Misinformation: It should also be noted that the majority of influencers discussing mental health have minimal expertise and do not corroborate their claims. Various “informers” on social media apps, specifically TikTok, have had their claims debunked. A team of mental health professionals working for PlushCare analyzed 500+ videos with hashtags relating to mental health: “83.7% of mental health advice on TikTok is misleading. While 14.2% of videos include content that could be potentially damaging” (PlushCare).

Moreover, social media has begun to equate mental health disorders to nuances, idiosyncrasies,  or generalized traits of a person that fit a very broad description or stereotype of the disorder. OCD is often reduced to liking things organized, ADHD is associated with anybody who has high energy, anxiety is misconstrued as feeling stressed out, depression is seen as feeling sad, and autism is diluted to being quirky or socially inept. These are only a few examples of the countless instances where an illness or disorder is degraded to one attribute that is not necessarily indicative of a psychological defect. 

Each of the disorders previously listed poses various tumultuous challenges that the individual must internally grapple with daily; by normalizing symptoms, the severity of each disorder/illness is belittled.

Conclusion: The stigmatizing of mental health overshadows perpetual struggles by promoting self-diagnosis, turning disorders into an accessory, and providing false information regarding mental health. Overall, this minimizes the voice given to the neurodivergent community and prevents adequate awareness from being spread. To combat this issue, social media platforms can begin implementing a feature that allows the viewer to see an influencer’s credentials, or lack thereof, when watching a video discussing medical information/advice. Although this may not entirely resolve the ongoing predicament, it could help mitigate the spread of misinformation.

Works Cited

Ahuja, Jai, and Palak A. Fichadia. “Concerns Regarding the Glorification of Mental Illness on Social Media.” Cureus, vol. 16, no. 3, Mar. 2024, https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.56631.

Issaka, Barikisu, et al. “‘Anxiety Is Not Cute’ Analysis of Twitter Users’ Discourses on Romanticizing Mental Illness.” BMC Psychiatry, vol. 24, no. 1, BioMed Central, Mar. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05663-w.

Gellner, Cindy. “Teens, Social Media, and the Trouble with Self-Diagnosis | University of Utah Health.” Healthcare.utah.edu, 2 Oct. 2023, healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/kids-zone/all/2023/10/teens-social-media-and-trouble-self-diagnosis.

By Sophomore Josie Baroski 

*Photo generated using AI technology*

Presently, we are living in an age where AI is becoming more prominent. It is being utilized as a tool in the workplace, as well as schools everywhere. Unfortunately, with this new technology comes environmental concerns, such as water pollution, and concerns among teachers about students being academically dishonest . So is AI a positive advancement or a negative problem we now have to work to solve?

First let’s look at the positives. AI can be helpful in learning new things, brainstorming, person reflection, planning schedules, employee training, and so much more. If used correctly, it can be a helpful tool to anyone who uses it. I, personally, use AI when brainstorming story ideas as well as when studying/ learning complex concepts. But when does this tool become harmful?

The use of AI in schools has drastically increased the simplicity of cheating on assignments such as essays and tests. And the problem? It is hard to tell when it has been misused. Students don’t want to be falsely accused of AI use when they pour their heart out on an essay, but teachers don’t want to be blindsided. 

However, a problem can also be schools not teaching AI skills to students, because most are afraid of these skills. Research indicates that 70% of employers won’t even look at a resume missing AI skills. If students are taught to use AI as a writing tool for prompting, without cheating. If schools teach critical thinking adequately before they introduce students to the usefulness of AI, then students will be less likely to abuse it.

Furthermore, the integration of AI has raised concerns within environmental agencies such as the United Nations Environment Assembly. They express concern of AI’s effect on the environment when they express “The proliferating data centers that house AI servers produce electronic waste. They are large consumers of water, which is becoming scarce in many places. They contaminate clean water when huge AI data centers use it as a cooling agent, then return it to the environment laden with chemicals and toxic discharge.

“They rely on critical minerals and rare elements, which are often mined unsustainably”(UNEP). These materials are being seized for the purpose of creating high performance chips and servers, as well as for data centers where AI is stored and trained.

While technological advancement is inevitable in an ever-changing society, we also only have one  Earth.

If you ask me, AI is helping us as a society overall. I believe its integration into schools  as well as the workplace is overall positive. It helps with data storage, automating repetitive tasks, and scheduling. The work of AI allows employees to focus on high value work, while also enhancing productivity and efficiency.

On the school side, AI really does help with brainstorming and teaching skills, as long as the students are utilizing the tool honestly.

While new technology always comes with challenges, they can be solved through mindfulness and dedication to the problem. Our environment is a serious concern, as damage is irreversible. However no matter what, problems can always yield solutions. Sometimes we just need a little help from AI to do so.

As we all know, energy drinks have become a very mainstream item in the hands of all ages. However, these trendy drinks might be slowly killing you. As the hype for energy drinks increases, the observations of health risks do as well.

For starters, the high amounts of caffeine within energy drinks pose their own difficulty. Since teens are the target audience and main consumer for energy drinks, you’d think the ingredients within those substances would be catered to what an adolescent needs for proper development. However, a study conducted by Indiana University showed that the caffeine recommendation for children aged 12-18 is 0-100 milligrams per day. The typical energy drink can contain up to 246 milligrams. Too much caffeine often causes insomnia, headaches, tachycardia, stunted growth, anxiety, stress, or even a higher susceptibility to addictive substances. There have even been cases of children being admitted to the hospital due to a caffeine induced heart attack; so far, there have been four reported fatalities from caffeine overload. Although detrimental, caffeine is not the only issue with energy drinks.

Aside from caffeine, gluconolactone, a naturally occurring sugar in the body, is prevalent in various energy drinks. Although this is not particularly terrible for you, it’s excessively used in energy drinks. The National Library of Medicine claims that 1-2 grams of gluconolactone is sufficient. However, Red Bull, a highly popular energy drink, generally contains 600 grams of gluconolactone. Higher amounts of this chemical can lead to skin abnormalities, redness, or irritation.

Not to mention, the concentration of sugar within energy drinks can also increase risk of diabetes and contribute to obesity. 

The last of the factors needing to be touched on is the impact energy drinks have on people with mental health disorders. Continuous consumption of energy drinks has been shown to worsen schizophrenic episodes, increase symptoms of bipolar, worsen the seizures of individuals with epilepsy, and lead to a higher rate of anxiety or depression in those who struggle with either/or.

In conclusion, the individual elements of energy drinks aren’t severe enough to be substantially detrimental health-wise. However, the accelerated amounts of these substances overload the nervous system and physiological state of mind. 

References

Costantino, Andrea, et al. “The Dark Side of Energy Drinks: A Comprehensive Review of Their Impact on the Human Body.” Nutrients, vol. 15, no. 18, 9 Sept. 2023, p. 3922, www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/18/3922, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15183922.

Clauson, Kevin A., et al. “Safety Issues Associated with Commercially Available Energy Drinks.” Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, vol. 48, no. 3, May 2008, pp. e55–e67, https://doi.org/10.1331/japha.2008.07055.

Bacon, Benjamin. “How Much Caffeine Is Safe for Your Teen?” Riley Children’s Health, 2025, www.rileychildrens.org/connections/how-much-caffeine-is-safe-for-your-teen.