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The Influence of Influencers

May 16, 2019 in Social Media Guide

This past week has shown the power of YouTube influencers. The 43-minute “takedown” video by Tati (a notable beauty YouTuber) of former mentee and friend James Charles (also a notable beauty YouTuber) not only broke into the mainstream media, but had drastic effects for both channels. Both videos have at least 40 million views each, and as Tati has largely increased her following, James has lost at least 2 million subscribers on YouTube, and his response video is already one of the most disliked videos in the nearly 15 years of YouTube’s history.

screen-3001951_1280Although the story itself has gotten really popular, most people reading about the feud were likely hearing about Tati and James for the first time. Social media moguls and influencers mostly have adolescents and teenagers as their primary demographic, not just as their audience, but as consumers. This can be seen all over sites like Instagram and YouTube, where influencers will almost always have some sort of product to advertise, whether it be an audiobook service, gummies for hair growth, or a clothing subscription.

Adolescents and young people have always been a core group for advertisers, but influencers have an extra advantage because of their relatability and creating a parasocial relationship with them. If they get a product that someone they admire or want to be like has advertised, adolescents may dhe-haivan-1210511-unsplashfeel like they are one step closer to looking like them or establishing some sort of connection with them. While this want for acceptance can happen to anyone, it’s particularly stronger in adolescents, where feeling like they belong to a certain group and look a certain way has a stronger influence on their self-esteem, how they see themselves, and their mental health.

online-store-1674907_1280If you’re on social media frequently, you may have wondered just how many people (and young people specifically) use the discount codes and try the products that the people they follow talk about. It seems that there is an impact: one study looking at children and their eating habits found that those who saw influencers with unhealthy snacks were more likely to increase their intake of unhealthy snacks too. A study has also found that advertisers are more successful when they have adolescents feel like they’re building their own “social identity,” that is, belonging to a certain group because of certain things they have and how they present themselves.

This doesn’t suggest that influencers are the most significant factor in the choices that adolescents make, but nowadays, they have an impact on how adolescents view themselves and how they want others to see them.

Have you ever bought a product from someone you follow or watch on social media? Do you know anyone who has?

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The Power in a Name

May 15, 2019 in Educate Yourself

trans-1792756_1920The mental health statistics for transgender people are unfortunately bleak. Nearly half of trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming (GNC) youth between the ages of 3-17 are likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness. Statistics show that at least half of them have received a depression diagnosis, with increased rates of attention deficit and anxiety diagnoses as well. These statistics increase in trans, nonbinary, and GNC youth of color, and overall, rates of suicide and suicide attempts are alarmingly high. There are many reasons for this, including but not limited to stigma, prejudice and discrimination, and the fear of being unaccepted.

name-1714231_1280One thing that may help reduce these statistics, however, is when trans people change their name to present themselves. Choosing one’s own name may help them not only feel more connected with the gender that they identify with, but gives them control over how the world regards them. While some feel that there is a risk in using their chosen name – the process to legally change it can be complicated, their request may be rejected by people they know, and it may make them vulnerable to being outed – there is an overall positive association with trans, nonbinary, and GNC youth and their mental health when they use their chosen name.

A survey for trans youth compared what name they went by, how they used it, and their depressive symptoms. The results showed that those who used a chosen name had huge differences in their mental health: they were 56% less likely to have suicidal behavior and had lower rates of depressive symptoms.

Trans, nonbinary, and GNC people having the power to choose a name that they feel represents who they are gives them the opportunity to control their own narrative.superhero-303189_1280 Names are a powerful thing: it’s what people know and refer to us as, and even just seeing a name can give us an idea about the person’s identity, like their gender and ethnicity. By choosing their name, trans, nonbinary, and GNC people can control how people view their gender identity, and doing this gives them the chance to reframe and rewrite parts of their lives in a way that’s more positive to them.

Doing something as simple as respecting those who wish to be called by a name that they have chosen and feel matches who they are can have the biggest difference on their mental health.

What roles do you think our names play on our identity? Have you chosen, or would you change your name, especially if you identify as trans, nonbinary, or GNC? Talk about your experiences below!

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Getting Involved

May 10, 2019 in LINKS

There are a number of nonprofits, organization, and campaigns that focus on mental health. Some talk about mental health as a whole, some focus on specific demographic and minority groups, and many are centered on helping youth and adolescents.

volunteer-1888823_1280Because it’s Mental Health Awareness Month, we wanted to highlight a few of these adolescent organizations if you want to find ways to help. You don’t have to feel like you’re limited to this list though, or even feel like you’re obligated to get involved in spreading mental health awareness. Activism and spreading awareness about anything can be a stressful task, and your mental health ultimately comes first. Do what’s best at your comfort level, which may be one of the options below!

If you want to or are able to donate, you can do so through pretty much organization. Active Minds has a bracelet that you can purchase, with all the proceeds going to support suicide prevention activities for students in high school and college. NAMI is a large organization that you can donate to, as well as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

screwdriver-3805195_1280If you want to get actively involved and volunteer, you can reach out to Young Minds Advocacy to see if you can get one of their representatives to speak for an event to help spread awareness in your community. The Mental Health First Aid National Council for Behavioral Health specifically focuses on making mental health and illness an important issue within politics, and has a handbook with how you can help contribute. You can also download toolkits from places such as teenmentalhealth.org and the HEARD Alliance and use them wherever you think is an accessible place for people to get education and information about mental health.

Of course, involvement and spreading awareness isn’t limited to physically getting out or spending money. If you want, you can participate in the several hashtags that organizations are using this month (examples include #RealConvo and #stopthestigma), sharing your own stories or sharing the stories of others.

Ultimately, if you want to get involved, find what’s comfortable for you.

Have you ever volunteered or have you ever contributed to conversations online about mental health? What are your favorite organizations? How did you learn about them?

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Helping Online Friends

May 9, 2019 in Social Media Guide

earth-3866609_1920Although social media as an effect on how we don’t communicate as frequently face-to-face and in real life, this doesn’t mean that friendships are dwindling. The Internet has made the world feel smaller, and in just seconds, you can meet peers around the world who share interests or have the same concerns that you do, and the more you talk, the more you realize that you may have more in common and that they can be a great means of support.

Safety is a top priority, and it’s still important to remember to be cautious when talking to those that you don’t know online. Once that trust is obtained and you know that the person is who they say they are, friendships online can be really valuable. A report in 2015 showed that 57% of victoria-heath-597279-unsplashadolescents have made at least one friendship online, and as recently as last year, consider online forums and groups as an important part of their social lives.

Even though it’s difficult, if not impossible, to meet them face-to-face, online friendships are still relationships, possibly even more important to some people if their lives at home aren’t under the best conditions. Friendships online provide a layer of confidentiality, but they can also be harder to interpret, since most of the communication is done over text.

The communication with online friendships is a double-edged sword when it comes to talking about mental health in particular. On one hand, it can help people have a space where they can be completely open and prevent the bursts that can happen when you bottle up your emotions. On the other hand, adolescents with depression may feel that when online friends oversharing can be irritating, or even triggering.

At the end of the day though, a lot of people have a strong desire to help others, especially those that they are close to and care about, and especially when the content being posted is concerning.flat-2126882_1280

There are ways of trying to start a conversation with someone you know and are concerned about, but they may feel more appropriate to do face-to-face. It’s still possible to reach out to those you don’t see face-to-face, but are still really concerned about, even if you can’t physically be there. There are a list of suggestions about how to do this online, which includes not to worry about intervening or “invading,” addressing the person privately over a DM, and if you’re really concerned, report the post to the social media site (places like Twitter and Facebook have options where you can report content out of concern that the person is in danger).

Friendships and relationships can be found anywhere, and you should never feel guilty if the people you love and care about seem like they’re in danger and you want to reach out and see if they’re okay. That being said, you also have to do what’s safest for you too, and if you don’t want to overburden yourself or feel like you have to take on all the responsibility for them. Ultimately, communication and self-reflection are key.

Do you have friends that you’ve made online? How are they different than the ones that you know from those in real life? Have you ever reached out to them if they were struggling with something? How did you notice and what did you do?

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Spreading Awareness on Children’s Mental Health

May 7, 2019 in Educate Yourself

kelly-sikkema-424276-unsplashAs a part of Mental Health Awareness Month, organizations and campaigns are using specific days to talk about specific issues. One example will be on Thursday, May 9th, which is dedicated to spreading awareness on children’s mental health.

The stigma that comes with children and mental health is similar to the one that affects teenagers. Childhood is assumed to be a vibrant, exciting, and innocent time of life as kids explore the world and things around them for the first time. Children are happy, so there’s no reason for them to be at risk for mental illnesses, right?

This isn’t always the truth though. According to the CDC, 9.4% of children between the ages of 2-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, and around 2 to 5 million children between the ages of 3-17 have been diagnosed with either anxiety, depression, or some sort of behavior problem. This doesn’t ben-wicks-1118947-unsplashaccount those who haven’t been diagnosed however, and mental illnesses are likely to overlap.

National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day has been practiced annually for over a decade, hosting its first event in 2005. Each year focuses on a relevant topic: this year’s was on suicide prevention (the suicide rates in children have increased and it is the second leading cause of death in those aged 10-34). This includes resources, and yesterday, SAMHSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) hosted their annual event in Washington DC.

The APA also hosted an event this past weekend called I am Psyched! For Youth, where they try to find youths interested in psychology to support and make a difference with other youth about mental illness, particularly those in marginalized communities.

The discussion about mental illness, especially for those about children, shouldn’t be limited to one day, or even a month, but the efforts to show that mental illness can severely affect children too is incredibly important.

What was your experience with mental health like when you were a kid? Do you remember what it was like when you were a child, and looking back, do you think there were things or feelings you wanted to talk about but were afraid to?

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Healthy Ways of Dealing With Depression

May 6, 2019 in Be Positive

I am a teenager who lives with depression, and I have struggled for a long time to find healthy ways of dealing with it.

One of the best ways I have found to help me escape all the thoughts going through my head is by watching funny videos on YouTube or watching shows and movies on Netflix that just sound fun and interesting to me.

Sometimes the videos I end up watching even inspire me to try new things. For example, watching Rosanna Pansino on YouTube makes me want to try baking things using her recipes because it just seems like she’s having so much fun. I also watch a lot of Markiplier videos because I just think that he is really funny and his energy and positivity make me happy.

On Netflix, my favorite show at the moment is Grey’s Anatomy but I think that is only because I want to be a doctor when I’m older. I also really enjoy The Vampire Diaries and cheesy romance types of movies like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and The Perfect Date.

I have also found that just going on walks through parks and just being around nature can be really calming. I feel it allows jessica-furtney-223489-unsplashme to clear my head and forget about the rest of my life at least for a short period of time. I have also discovered that just being in the company of people I genuinely trust and feel I can be open with helps me immensely because I’m not worried about them judging me or how they will react if I’m just in a bad mood sometimes.

If anyone else has their own ways they cope with mental illness, I would love to know them!

What are your favorite movies or types of videos to watch? Do you prefer lighthearted romcoms or tutorial-like videos? When do you prefer watching these videos?

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Having a #RealConvo

May 3, 2019 in LINKS

icon-3154240_1280This month is Mental Health Awareness Month. Even though the conversations about mental health, mental illness, and breaking down the stigma have continued to increase and become more mainstream, there is still a long way to go.

As a result, organizations are using May to spread awareness and the importance of mental health and checking in with yourself to see how you’re doing. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s goal for the month is to inspire people to become more blunt and honest with each other about mental health and mental illness, specifically when it comes to suicide, that is to say, have a #RealConvo.

You can find a bunch of resources and activities if you go to their #RealConvo page. For example, they have videos with AFSP volunteers about various topics, such as personal stories, advice, and the importance of why having these conversations are important. The Read section features all kinds of stories and how-to guides, from ways to ask for help from others to advice on how to talk to someone who has suicidal thoughts, which was written by someone who has suicidal thoughts themselves. These are all done to show the reality of living with and knowing others with mental illnesses and those who have a personal story with suicide and how to start the conversation to make us all feel a little less alone.

The page also features ways you can volunteer or spread the word around in your own community and a list of additional resources.

Have you ever had a #RealConvo? How did it go? What advice do you have about starting a conversation about heavier topics like mental illness and suicide? Are there questions you have yourself about how to start a conversation?

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What do Social Media Stats Mean to You?

May 2, 2019 in Social Media Guide

Chances are, you’ve probably been guilty of caring about how well your posts are doing if you’re on social media. There’s just something so satisfying about seeing the number of views, likes, and comments build up, especially in the first few minutes of a post going live.

There are several reasons why we feel like this when we get notifications. For one thing, it can validate us, feeling that whatever we posted is of good quality and any work we put in it paid off. game-figure-598036_1920That surge of validation may be even stronger if the likes we get are from people we admire, like, or rarely see engagement from. This can also make us feel like we’re being “accepted” and give us a sense of belonging with whoever and what types of people see and like the content we create and put up. Our brains may respond to these notifications the same way they do when we get rewarded or praised for something, which then in turn makes us feel happy.

Of course, there is a negative side to that though: we may rely on waiting for those certain likes or craving validation, which can then make us rely on posting more or using other people’s views and likes as a source for our positive feelings. For those with mental illnesses, or even just as a person with the human desire for belonging and being wanted by others, not getting that attention may make us feel like we’re disliked, unwanted, and neglected.background-3644014_1280

Along with increasing that need for validation and belonging, the rewarding feeling we get from seeing social media statistics also happens when we compare ourselves to other people’s posts. It may be a friend, family member, or even an influencer or celebrity with a large following, but it’s natural for us to want to compare our statistics with theirs, and possibly even feel competitive, using those who are popular as a reference or as a goal.

Instagram has been rumored this week to reduce that negative, competitive feeling by removing the ability to see the total number of likes on other people’s posts. While you can still see the specific number of people who have liked your own content, you can only see that people have liked other ones, but not specifically who or how many. A spokesperson for Instagram has denied these rumors, but they did say that they are trying to come up with ways to decrease the pressure of numbers and statistics on the social media site.

While it may not be true now, the way we use and treat social media may change if Instagram and other social media sites begin to hide other people’s social media stats. We may not feel like we need to meet the standards of other people because of how well their posts are doing, but may also put more pressure on ourselves to get as many notifications as possible since our own posts are the only ones we can see, and may end up competing with ourselves.

Do you find yourself caring a lot about your social media stats? What do you think of the rumored Instagram change? Do you compare yourself to others on social media sites?

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Sports and Their Effects on Mental Health

May 1, 2019 in Educate Yourself

You’ve probably heard it before: exercise and moving around can do a lot for your mental health. It’s a great form of stress relief, helps get your mind off of things, and of course, has benefitsdavid-tran-484920-unsplash for your physical health too.

One way of getting physically active are through school and club sports. Organized teams like football, soccer, volleyball (the list can go on and on and on) are an easy way to do this. There’s a social aspect as well, because it gives you the opportunity to interact with peers who share an interest in that sport too.

There is a lot of evidence supporting just how great playing sports can be for adolescent mental health. This is particularly true in boys, specifically finding that depression rates are lower for those who play sports. Studies have also shown that those who play sports find their coaches and/or their parents to be key isaiah-rustad-1073714-unsplashsupportive individuals in their lives and that they have a strong desire to help those who may be struggling with their mental health. Bonds are strong with those who play sports together and general team participation in sports have been found to have antidepressant effects.

Even with all this information, however, the rates of of anxiety and depression among scholastic athletes have increased in the past decade. Organizations and colleges have started to take note, and are trying to spread awareness on the issue.

The reasons for the spike supports the theories that younger generations have been experiencing more intensive and increased pressures to meet massimo-sartirana-562839-unsplashnearly impossible standards. That is, adolescents and young adults today are told that in order to succeed, they have to be “perfect” at something, and the best way to do that is to start it early and engage in activities related to it as much as possible. In the case of sports, adolescents may be training for tons of hours during the week, having a monitored and strict diet, and losing sleep to train as much as possible.

The treatment of student athletes as “professionals” can very easily lead to exhaustion, not physically, but mentally as well. Student athletes’ lives aren’t all about the sports – as the name suggests, they’re students as well. Spending tons of time training means that they have less time do to do homework and travelling for william-iven-22451-unsplashgames can take away valuable studying time.

This is especially difficult for the adolescent brain. We talked last week about how the adolescent brain has a lot of plasticity, and because it is still developing, can be affected by extreme situations and stress. Adolescents can be severely affected by the pressures that their coaches, parents, and even their own brain places on them, which can then in turn affect their mental health to a more extreme level.

Playing sports has an outstanding effect on physical health and well-being, but going too far can actually cause a lot of damage. The same thing can happen to your mental health too, so it’s important to be careful and check-in as much as possible to see how you’re feeling both mentally and physically.

Do or did you play sports? What was your experience like? Did you find support in your teammates or coaches? Was mental health discussed? Share your experiences below!

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What Exactly is CBT?

April 30, 2019 in Educate Yourself

Depression is considered one of the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children. In 2016, 3.2% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 1.9 million) had diagnosed depression. Depression is also the most common health problem for college students. In 2017, out of all adults with a major depressive episode, the age group with the highest prevalence of 13.1% was young adults aged 18-25.

A gold standard treatment for depression is cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. CBT is based on the principle that psychological problems arise from negative thinking, which leads to negative feelings and behaviors, and eventually to distorted views of the world and themselves. For example, if someone was not invited to a birthday party, he might interpret it as, “They don’t like me.” This negative thought may trigger more negative thoughts, and he may start to think, “I’ll never be invited to parties because no one will ever like me.” These thoughts may bring about feelings of hopelessness and affect his behavior to be more isolated. CBT helps people to detect the distorted thinking that started this cycle and reframe it in a more healthy and realistic manner.

One of the ways that CBT does this is to have you track your mood before and after certain activities. This helps you to understand the effects that certain events have on your emotions. CBT board-3700116_1920helps you to detect thoughts that triggered these emotions and challenge them. This can help you change the way you feel in certain situations and enable to change your behavior in the future. Another skill that you may learn is relaxing your mind, by deep breathing or deep muscle relaxation, which helps to calm you when you feel stressed. The result of practicing all these techniques through CBT is that you start thinking more positively and get better at regulating your mood.

Reaping the benefits of CBT to have healthy thoughts and behaviors takes practice. This practice takes place in sessions, which can occur a few times a week for a few months. Practicing these skills in your daily life helps you to apply what you learn in CBT to the real world.

priscilla-du-preez-1528253-unsplashIn addition to CBT, it is important to schedule “fun time” to keep yourself busy and involved in activities that boost your mood, to enhance what you learn from therapy sessions. Playing sports, going for a bike ride, or walking the dog help to prevent negative behaviors that might result from feeling lonely or isolated. Doing activities with other people that you have enjoyed in the past reminds you of the support you have, and doing activities that help others makes you feel good about, and think positively toward, yourself.

A first step to recovery from depression is to recognize the distorted thoughts and triggers in your environment that bring about negative feelings and behaviors. CBT can equip you with the skills to detect these thoughts and build resilience to them in your daily life, making you a stronger, happier, and healthier person. However, CBT alone may not be for everyone, and some may need medication or other treatments either in addition to, or instead of, CBT. It is important to talk to your primary care doctor to see if CBT is right for you.

Have you had CBT before? What was your experience like? Do you know anyone else who has gone through CBT? If you have never had CBT before, is it something you think you would like to try? Share your thoughts and experiences below!

This SOVA blog post was based off an article from Lindsey Giller in U.S. News & World Report, “What to Expect From CBT for Childhood Depression.” To access the original post, check it out here.

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