Islamabad-Today, people are more connected than they have ever been, due to advancements in technology and the influential presence of social media. Earlier, only mass media was the main source of import and export of different ideas, culture and trends, but in today’s globalised era, we have access to the entire world at the tip of our fingers. The reliance on technology and the addiction with social media has a number of detrimental effects on each user’s mental health.  A number of studies around the world suggest that social media is negatively affecting the mental and even physical health of majority of the people, especially teenagers, as they are the biggest consumers of social media apps. Issues such as cyber bullying, obsession with the number of likes, views and followers, constant pressure to look perfect and lack of actual human interaction are just a few problems that are associated with regular use of this medium. But, it is vital to remember that traditional media also plays a big part in the increasing numbers of mental health illnesses and the stigmatization of those illnesses due to a negative portrayal of such illnesses in mainstream TV, dramas and movies. In countries like Pakistan and India, another big issue is the unethical and irresponsible reporting done by some journalists and media houses to sensationalize horrific incidents, just for the sake of ratings. Troubling and potentially triggering coverage of terrorist attacks, airing dead bodies along with blood and gore after suicide bombings, and causing more trouble to the victim’s family by forcefully interviewing them and asking them absurd questions, while invading their privacy during times of intense grief and pain has been witnessed on a number of news channels in Pakistan. Such graphic images can aggravate and even cause PTSD in some cases and can have a very negative impact on underage viewers. So, there is a dire need to penalise and hold the media accountable for the consequences of their news coverage and TV shows, and should be directed to show sensitivity to the victims and their families.

Social Media

This medium can have adverse affects on the user’s mental health, especially if used on a regular basis. Being inundated with perfectly contoured faces and heavily edited photos on Instagram everyday can cause severe self esteem issues. Moreover, the pressure to look a certain way just adds to anxiety and worsens eating disorders among patients already suffering from such illnesses. This often leads to a constant comparison of yourself to others by stalking their immaculately filtered photos or relationship updates, which itself can cause a lot of stress and self doubt. During a survey about the effects of social media on an individual’s mental health, a number of people mentioned that they suffer from constant stress and “FOMO” (fear of missing out) a millennial term described as anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media . During the survey Meera Omar, a program officer in the development sector said,” Social media gives you a warped perception of other people’s life and happiness, and creates a pressure on your own imperfect struggling experience to be ‘Instagram worthy’. Also, the expectation to constantly be available and reachable causes a lot stress and anxiety.” According to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, regular use of Facebook has a negative impact on the wellbeing of an individual. Dr Osama Muslim suggests, “Anxiety and Depression is quite common among teenagers and young adults today and excessive use of social media is partly responsible for it. It is important to become conscious of the time you spend scrolling through different social media apps and to limit your screen time, so you could boost your self-confidence by focusing on yourself rather than on others. This will not only improve your mental health but will also protect your eyesight from getting weaker and will help you get better quality of sleep, since excessive use of social media can keep the brain constantly on high alert due to which it’s difficult for most young adults to maintain a healthy sleeping pattern .”

Mass Media

The portrayal of mental illnesses in mass media has always been very stereotypical and it often portrays those suffering from such illnesses as “crazy” which leads to the stigmatization and trivialization of mental illnesses and could prevent people from seeking help. TV series such as Pretty Little Liars, 14 reasons why, tend to sensationalise mental health facilities, illnesses and even suicide. It is vital to remember that unless someone has been to a medical school or has studied psychology, their knowledge about mental illnesses stem from either newspapers or talk shows which have already been criticized for portraying people suffering from such illnesses inaccurately and negatively as suggested by a number of studies.  It is very common for people without disabilities to mock people with disabilities by using medical terminology such as OCD to describe attention to cleanliness, Bipolar for being moody and depressed for just being sad. 

TV Dramas in Pakistan tend to show antagonists suffering from mental illnesses as karma, a result of their sins or a punishment by God for all their evil deeds. Furthermore, in a number of “psycho killer/thriller” Hollywood movies, characters suffering from schizophrenia are presented as “hallucinating lunatics” or “homicidal maniacs”. It’s important to screen content and remove such scenes and dialogues before streaming it on air and to only present such illnesses if relevant to the story. Journalists should be trained about mental health issues and the implications of their reporting on societal mental health and its sensitivity. A realistic portrayal of the struggles that patients of mental illnesses undergo is strongly needed in traditional media and in order to destigmatise these illnesses, newspapers, TV channels and radio shows should play a responsible and ethical part in creating awareness, instead of sensationalizing it.