Gen Z’s Romanticization of Mental Illnesses and How It Encourages Them to Fake Their Symptoms Generation Z, born in the years 1997 to 2012, is the generation that ‘grew up with technology’. Having easy access to the internet from a young age means enhanced connectivity, facilitated communication with peers, and much more. However, it also means more exposure to the internet and social media, which can be detrimental to mental health. With constant exposure to the online world, Gen Z essentially has an internet addiction. This means that their time spent on the internet not only consumes most of their waking hours, but also molds their character, as they are at a time of peak brain plasticity (the ability to be changed by outside influences). Because many of the heated topics that we see on the internet are about mental health, some Gen Z may begin to take an interest in the different types of illnesses and then self-diagnose in order to find comfort in their behavior. This perpetuates Gen Z's prevalent romanticization of mental illnesses—the direct result of a misfiring in previous generations' efforts to de-stigmatize mental illness. This romanticization has led to a society in which identifying with a mental illness is actually encouraged, rather than simply being perceived as acceptable. However, part of Gen Z's romanticization of mental illness can also be blamed on the inappropriate portrayal of mental illnesses in media, which often ignores the solemnity of the issue and how it might be offensive to people with clinically diagnosed mental illnesses. Social Media and It's Role on Mental Health Depiction In particular, social media commonly depicts many aspects of mental illness to be glamorous or "aesthetic". For instance, panic attacks and self-harm are intense topics that shouldn’t be discussed lightly; however, they often are in mainstream media, especially on Tik Tok—a platform on which Gen Z makes up a huge percentage of consumers. It is a notable trend on TikTok that a user with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or an eating disorder gets many views, likes, comments and shares on their videos. This could be healthy discussion for those who actually have those disorders, as accurate representation for mental illness in media is hard to come by. However, for impressionable children and teenagers on the app, it may show that they need to have such disorders to fit in or be “relatable”. In fact, according to a study conducted by the United Kingdom’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, there was a “significant increase in tics in teenage girls” since early 2020. Although it is not clear to what extent the increase in patients can be attributed to the glamorization of mental illnesses, this new finding suggests that the trend of faking illnesses for attention or clout can be observed not only in the media but also in real life. What this means is that teenagers are convincing themselves that they have illnesses they do not have, which could lead to a more severe mental illness called the Munchausen’s syndrome. Munchausen’s syndrome is a type of mental disorder in which a person feigns an illness to receive attention and sympathy. Often observed in younger adults or teenagers, Munchausen’s is seen as a form of self-harm and can be detrimental to mental health. However, this certain niche community of users who fake mental health disorders are adhering to the trends for fame, and although it may seem appealing, convincing yourself of an illness that you don’t have is detrimental to your health. Having good mental health should be prioritized and promoted, since it leads to a healthier, more productive and more positive life. You can be relatable without changing who you are. This change in mindset is crucial for self-improvement, and the first step to this is to remember that social media is not real life. Your mental health and life matters most—not someone else’s.
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