In today’s day and age, people are growing more aware about mental health. While mental health awareness is important for breaking stigma and encouraging care, it also carries certain unintended risks. These include over-analysing normal human emotions, or indulging in self-fulfilling prophecies. Read on to know more about this.
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To understand this better, we reached out to Dr Jagjot Singh, Consultant Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Hospital Ludhiana.
Is Mental Health Awareness Harmful?
Dr Singh says that even well-intentioned mental health awareness carries its own risks that are often ignored. The expert adds, “When a person consumes mental health awareness content from sources such as unverified research, social media, or uncertified experts, there is a constant risk of misreading even normal human emotions such as grief, heartbreak, or even stress.”
He continues, “More importantly, when the awareness stage reaches to that of a self-diagnosis, things can get more complicated. It is widely seen that confirmation bias pulls people toward the label they fear most, and that label sticks. It often leads to nocebo effects. That means simply believing you have a mental illness can manufacture real symptoms of depression, sleeplessness, and chronic anxiety in an otherwise healthy person. The mind listens to what you tell it.”
According to the British Journal of Psychiatry, there is a concern that overpathologising can often turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. It notes that there is extensive evidence that when individuals are encouraged to notice or label unpleasant symptoms, these symptoms may increase. Moreover, there is emerging evidence that viewing mental health awareness materials can impact how individuals interpret and report their own symptoms. The concern is that if awareness efforts lead individuals to label mild and transient levels of distress as symptoms of a mental disorder, these symptoms may worsen or are maintained over time.
How Mental Health Awareness Impacts Youth
Dr Singh says that in young people, this is more worrying. “With most of the awareness being consumed via social media without the guidance of an expert, they just don’t think they are unwell or going through a medical condition, rather they tend to build their identity around that belief itself. That identity then becomes the single biggest barrier to recovery,” he adds.
The expert continues, “To avoid such extreme conditions, there needs to be proper awareness under the purview of a professional expert. Especially in today’s social media frenzy, we need to focus on fewer viral labels and more on honest conversations that lead people to trained clinicians.”
ALSO READ- Think You’re Just a Hard Worker? You Might Have High-Functioning Anxiety
Conclusion
When a person consumes mental health awareness content from unverified sources or social media, there is a risk of misreading even normal human emotions. Moreover, too much awareness may often lead to self-diagnosis, which can complicate things further.
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Shruti Das is a health and lifestyle journalist with eight years of experience across print and digital media. She currently works as a Senior Sub Editor at OnlyMyHealth, where she writes on women’s health, sexual health, mental health, nutrition, and skincare.
Her work focuses on breaking down complex health topics and medical research into clear, reader-friendly information. While reporting on health subjects, she relies on credible research, expert insights, and verified medical sources. Shruti taps into her network of doctors and medical experts to get articles that involve medical claims reviewed before publication.
Before joining Jagran New Media, Shruti worked with Patriot Newspaper, HT City (Hindustan Times), and Storytailors, where she developed her foundation in news reporting, lifestyle journalism, and long-form storytelling.
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Current Version
May 28, 2026 16:24 IST
Published By : Shruti Das
