Instagram’s New Mental Health Feature

Instagram is a picture-sharing social media site created to allow you to share your life through pictures and videos with the world.   But the new norm of constant sharing can create a sense of loneliness if you begin to compare your life to those you witness on your feed.  Good.health.is.com talks about a new feature of the app that can be helpful for individuals with mental health concerns. The website states the following:

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“If you stumble upon a friend or stranger’s post about self-harm, an eating disorder, suicidal thoughts, or other dangerous situations, you’re now one button away from anonymously reporting that post to Instagram.”   Alerting Instagram when someone may be in need of some help or support will prompt a message that will be sent out saying: ‘Someone saw one of your posts and thinks you might be going through a difficult time. If you need support, we’d like to help.’ The users will be prompted with three options to get help, which are talking to a friend, contacting a helpline, and tips for support. The language used to construct the wording was developed with the help from the National Eating Disorders Association and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.”

If you see anyone that you believe may be in need of help, it’s best to report it because you never know what impact it could have an individual. It can be hard to reach out personally, especially if your relationship with the person takes place mostly over social media. This new feature is an anonymous way to check in with the person. It might be able to provide them with the resources they need. The app suggests that the person reach out for help in some way, and that can make all the difference. Sometimes all people need is a small gesture that conveys a helping hand reaching out for them.