The fields of psychology and psychiatry are often criticized for problematically labeling many typical behaviors as mental illnesses and for reinforcing gender-specific biases in mental health. Pioneers in psychology, such as Sigmund Freudrepresented sexist views that are still visible today. Groundbreaking Work on gender bias in Psychopathology Recent studies have examined where it was located found that women were more likely to be diagnosed with disorders such as depression and men were diagnosed with disruptive behavior disorders, indicating a gender bias. Additionally, systemic factors such as sexism, racism and poverty that impact mental health have long been ignored by professionals.
These real prejudices also appear in online discourse. There’s more and more discussion about mental health online – whether it’s the “podcast bros” recommending the gym as a replacement for therapy or Instagram reels confusing self-care with expensive skin care. Such information often ends up doing more harm than good, making mental health inaccessible and exclusionary.
Toxic masculinity in the name of men’s mental health‘
Heterosexual cisgender male creators promote a harmful image of masculinity. They encourage replacing therapy with exercise and going to the gym, emphasizing that suppressing emotions makes a man “strong.” These creators are idolized by their male audience, especially young boys. It may be dangerous. In one Story Kallopi Mingeirou, head of Ending Violence Against Women and Girls at UN Women, says of UN News on the Manosphere: “We are seeing an increasing trend of young men and boys turning to influencers for advice on topics such as dating, fitness and fatherhood.” Such “instruction” is often harmful and encourages violence against women. It can contribute to what Dr. Niobe Way, a developmental psychologist at New York University, says: Calls “an attachment crisis” – when boys and men cannot express their feelings, they may become lonely and hostile. Such strict ideals from a man can make men less likely to seek help. This in turn worsens the symptoms Anxiety and depression.
There’s more and more discussion about mental health online – whether it’s the “podcast bros” recommending the gym as a replacement for therapy or Instagram reels confusing self-care with expensive skin care. Such information often ends up doing more harm than good, making mental health inaccessible and exclusionary.
Research has shown that problematic masculine norms can also lead to violent behavior among men, particularly toward women and sexual minorities. In the digital world, such patterns are often visible in the manosphere. The Manosphere is an online community of male YouTubers that propagates and promotes misogyny and violence against women. Creator within the manosphere encourage Calling on men, in the name of “men’s rights,” to hold women accountable for the struggles they face in their lives, without addressing things like stigma and loneliness that actually worsen men’s mental health. In an article by GenderIT, psychologist Dr. Paras Sharma notes how these creators advertise “Pseudopsychology” and “anti-feminism” by marketing themselves as “mentors.” These “mentors” reap the benefits loneliness and insecurities that men and boys experience, shaping these into toxic masculine ideologies that have a damaging impact on men’s mental health.
Exclusionary self-care and “aesthetic” femininity
Popular content from female YouTubers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok can also be problematic. Popular trends like “Soft Girl Era” and “Just a Girl” paint a narrow picture of femininity – expensive clothes, curated looks, and free time that needs to be “aesthetic.” There’s nothing wrong with liking food and fashion. The problem, however, lies in presenting this as the only dimension of femininity.
Source: The Conversation
Such content risks reinforcing sexist stereotypes and is very exclusionary. Only women with caste and class privileges have access to such “aesthetics” of femininity. In an article from Roundtable India, an online space for Dalit-Bahujan voices, advocate Anamika Kumari writes how mainstream feminism excludes Dalit and other women with marginalized caste identities from its discourse – “Women of caste and class privilege relate to this idea of feminism, which seems quite alien to Dalit women.” Even though our situation has improved only slightly over time, we rank high on the scale of equality compared to Savarna women. Most Dalit women do not have access to education, sanitation, food, shelter or clean drinking water. “Even those with good education or decent jobs do not have similar rights and privileges.”
Failure to meet these unrealistic standards can lead to body image and self-esteem issues in young women, as well as depression and self-harm tendencies. The impact is greatest among marginalized women, who face exclusion and caste discrimination.
Dalit and working-class women who may not conform to “conventional” standards of beauty are systematically excluded from these discourses. Furthermore, such content reinforces superficial and patriarchal ideas of beauty and attractiveness. As we talk about casteism in popular online discourse in an article from The swaddle bagCopywriter and author Hannah Stephen, whose work explores responsibility in digital culture, writes: “The aesthetics of the dominant caste that are gaining popularity online are very much based on European standards, as they are in real life.” Content creators and those who influence trends reproduce these standards and antagonize anyone who doesn’t. People from marginalized backgrounds do not support this Western aesthetic and in most cases do not have the resources necessary to emulate this aesthetic.” Failure to meet these unrealistic standards can lead to body image and self-esteem issues in young women, as well as depression and self-harm tendencies. The impact is greatest among marginalized women, who face exclusion and caste discrimination. This contributes to the shame, stigma, a feeling of worthlessness and paranoia that result from the dehumanization of their femininity.
Discourses on mental health and well-being
Even discourses promoting mental health can end up creating tone-deaf and exclusionary tendencies. Popular discourse often commodifies mental well-being. Self-care is becoming synonymous with expensive skin care products and wellness practices. Such findings imply that mental health is a privilege that only people who have access to expensive products and resources deserve. Such narratives exclude people from impoverished and marginalized backgrounds and lack a culturally informed understanding of well-being and mental health. Divya Kandukuri, founder of Blue Dawn, a support group and facilitator of accessible mental health services for Bahujan communities, writes: “… the popular discourse around wellness has become commodified; it is very capitalistic in nature. Ideas of ‘self-care’ include putting on a face mask, going to the gym, or learning to “Goat Yoga”. All of this exclusively affects and is harmful to the vast majority of the population a holistic approach on care work,” in an article by India Development Review.
Popular mental health sites glorify concepts like “boundaries” and “cutting off toxicity” as quick fixes to mental health problems. But such narratives do not take structural violence into account. Factors such as casteism, classism and sexism often contribute to serious psychological distress that cannot be “solved” with universal solutions. These discourses also only focus on individual well-being and not on collective healing. In collectivist cultures like India, an individual’s well-being is closely linked to society, culture and system. The hyperfocus on individualism therefore does not apply.
With online discourse now readily accessible, it is important to focus our understanding of mental health on intersectionality, equity, and accessibility. Social media platforms need to have better moderation systems in place to regulate problematic gendered discourses on mental health and other topics. The real-world implications of mental health discourse, particularly for people from marginalized backgrounds, are severe. Schools and colleges should use media literacy courses to ensure young people are aware of the type of content they are engaging with and the potential impact. Additionally, the mental health and well-being discourse should focus on concepts such as collaborative care and a community-centered therapeutic approach that ensures systemic changes for well-being without overtly focusing on the individual.
