Published on June 9, 2025 by Zencare Team. Written by Alise Lindsey, LMHC, LPC, MEd, MA Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.
It kind of started with WebMD’s symptom checker. You get an ache or pain, so you log in your symptoms and suddenly you are obsessed with the worse case scenarios. I know I’ve diagnosed myself with a rare genetic disease a time or two only to discover it’s just gas.
TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are like a symptom checker for mental health conditions. People hear something they can relate to, and they self-diagnose and/or treat themselves based on the worst case. Or they present to a mental health professional and insist on a particular diagnosis. However, just like WebMD can’t replace a doctor, social media can’t replace a real therapist.
I get it. Finding a licensed mental health professional can feel frustrating. There are so many to choose from, you have to share deep and painful information, you have to find time in your schedule and make room in your budget. Social media feels more accessible and because of the open forum format, you can do things your way. However, it is important to remember licensed professionals are trained and educated to understand the subtleties and nuances of mental health conditions and treatment. They are also held to a standard you can’t get from social media or artificial intelligence. This is why social media shouldn’t be your therapist.
Let’s explore three reasons social media shouldn’t be your primary source for mental health treatment and support and three ways to use social media in a healthy and responsible way to get the support you need on your mental health journey.
1. The Limits of Social Media Advice
Social media has limits. On social media you aren’t vetted. You can pay for your blue check which equates to validation. If you have an opinion and money for a microphone, you’re a podcaster or streamer. If you’ve been through something and let’s face it, we all have, you can be a motivational speaker or a coach. Even an untrained person can create a soundbite that spreads like wildfire even if it isn’t true. People don’t think to check the credibility if it sounds good and relatable. Studies show that 80% of mental health content is misleading (Ninan, 2025).
Think about how many rumors you’ve heard about celebrities only to learn it was false information or taken out of context. Now think about how many people refuse to believe accurate information because they are married to the misinformation because it came first or they never hear the accurate version. This can have damaging effects on the world of mental health because people will believe what feels true not what is true.
One of the biggest benefits of actual therapy vs social media is that licensed mental health professionals have advanced degrees, supervised training, licenses and certifications to ensure they provide accurate and appropriate care that you deserve. These professionals are not giving advice based on their personal beliefs, opinions or experiences nor is it their goal to go viral. They are teaching skills, engaging in treatment and providing education that’s guided by research. So just because it’s viral doesn’t mean it’s credible or coming from a credible source.
2. The Value of Personalized, Professional Care
Your reason for seeking mental health care is unique. While you may be experiencing symptoms that are like a friend, social media influencer or relative, it doesn’t mean your treatment process should or will be the same. Mental health professionals are trained to assess you from a holistic perspective and this includes the parts that may not stand out to you. I’ve worked with clients who never consider the amount of caffeine they ingest on their anxiety symptoms or sleep pattern. When you don’t know what to consider you are missing key elements to the story.
Once your provider has assessed you, they’ll work with you to develop a treatment plan. The treatment plan includes how you’ll remedy the issues that brought you to treatment. If you and someone you know has experienced trauma, it doesn’t mean the way you process that trauma needs to be the same. Again, you and your experiences are unique, and you deserve to be treated as such, so you shouldn’t use social media for your important therapeutic needs. You and your provider may decide you require a specialized approach such as EMDR, DBT or brainspotting, among other options, which requires specialized training. Consider that untrained people on social media are working with a limited range of options, they go with what they’ve experienced. If their goal is to make money they are not likely to refer you to someone who can support you in the specialized way you need it. Licensed professionals are continuing their education yearly to maintain licensure and gain new skills to use with you. This ongoing education ensures professionals are using and learning about evidenced based practices, things that research backs as effective and appropriate. If they realize you need something else, they usually have resources to refer you to so your needs can effectively be met.
3. Emotional Safety and Accountability
There are many aspects of mental health that require safety, your records and experiences as well as you as an individual. Professional mental health providers are required to maintain confidentiality, which means things about you can’t be shared without your expressed consent, except for if you are planning to hurt yourself, someone else or you share about child or elder abuse. Sharing online or with someone who has no such responsibility can result in your information being shared in places and ways you haven’t agreed to. Or much worse, it can result in you not getting the proper help you need if you are in a crisis. Mental health professionals are required to follow the law, which includes HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a federal law that protects the privacy and the security of medical information.
People seek therapy to learn more about themselves, to grow and to heal. The code of ethics that mental health professionals must abide by requires them to be consistent, not abandon you and create an environment that is safe. Developing rapport or what’s also called a therapeutic alliance has been proven to increase the effectiveness of treatment. Knowing your provider is consistent and keeping your information private allows you to trust them and you can open up to them. It also allows them to challenge you and hold you accountable so you can grow beyond your comfort zone at a pace right for you.
When Social Media Can Be Helpful
So when and how can you use social media for help? Social media is helpful in connecting you with people outside of your social circle. Research shows that college students find support and validation of similar experiences in YouTube videos (Choi, Kim, Huh-Yoo. 2021). Feeling connected to others who have similar experience can normalize and reduce shame around things you may be battling alone. Reducing shame is a major element in people asking for help. Social media campaigns have been extremely effective in raising awareness and showing people there are so many others experiencing the same struggles. Raising awareness also affects change and allows people to get involved in causes important to them. Use social media for a healthy connection to others.
Finding resources has been made easier through social media. You can write a post asking for anything from suggestions on apartments to recommendations on where to eat. Using social media to find a trained, credible, credentialed mental health professional or services is an effective use of these platforms.
Lastly, to engage in social media in a healthy, responsible way you need to use your critical thinking skills. This means not taking everything you see or hear as fact without doing research and consulting with professionals first. Make note of what you hear but don’t assume or become connected to the information until you know it is real, true and legitimately applies to you.
Conclusion: Choose Care Over Clicks
Social media was created to bring people together and it truly does that. You can have a shared experience with a person half a world away. While social media can feel comfortable and expose you to new people and information, it has its limits. It is not a replacement for serious and important components of real life. Since people can be who they want to be online without regulation on social media, it’s important you seek trained professionals for your mental health needs. You deserve individualized care, not quotes that broadly apply to the masses.
If you or someone you know could benefit from managing mental health needs with a licensed professional, platforms like Zencare can help you get matched with the right provider.
FAQ: Common Questions About Social Media and Therapy
Q: Isn’t some advice on social media helpful if it resonates with me?
It can absolutely be helpful when something on social media resonates with you. It’s a great first step to get you thinking about your needs and ways you can grow and improve. It can be helpful to take that and explore it further with a professional.
Q: Can following therapists on social media be a substitute for seeing one?
Following therapists can get you thinking outside the box, provide new ideas and prompt you to function in a healthy way. However, getting tips online is not the same as working with a licensed therapist to ensure what you are learning is applied in a way that is beneficial and effective for you. Therapy is not one size fits all, but social media is.
Q: What’s the harm in getting mental health advice online?
Mental health needs are unique to individuals. You deserve guidance that is accurate and specific to you. In addition, you want to be certain the information presented is up to date, proven effective and appropriate for you. Just like everyone in the world with high blood pressure doesn’t take the same medicine, you can’t just take general advice for your mental health condition.
Q: How do I know when it’s time to talk to a real therapist?
If you are having difficulties in the areas of work, relationships, school, recreation, communication and/or thoughts about yourself, it’s a great time to talk to a therapist. You also want to seek a therapist if you want to hurt yourself or someone else. Therapy is great for people who aren’t where they want to be in life because something is holding them back mentally or emotionally.
Additional Helpful References
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). (2023). https://www.nami.org/family-member-caregivers/determining-the-credibility-of-social-media-mental-health-experts/
American Psychological Association. (2022). Social media and mental health: Tips for clinicians and users.
American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics.
Choi B, Kim H, Huh-Yoo J (2021). Seeking mental health support among college students in video-based social media: Content and statistical analysis of YouTube videos. JMIR Formative Research, 5(11), e31944.
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2023, August). Social media and self-diagnosis.
Ninan, R. (2025, April 2). Dr. TikTok? The impacts of misinformation on mental health self-diagnosis. Harvard Law - Petrie-Flom Center.