Curing depression with TikTok and saffron

Young people's disconnection from the traditional media system makes them more vulnerable to unscrupulous and highly persuasive individuals in the short format of viral videos. A study by the Guardian analyzed the 100 most-viewed videos on TikTok that include the hashtag "mental health hacks," and in more than half of the cases, they contain misinformation. Some promise to resolve trauma in fifteen minutes, and others propose miracle solutions without any scientific evidence, such as consuming saffron. And there are also the opposite: videos that pathologize everyday feelings and experiences that may be inconvenient, but are in no way a mental disorder (which, in turn, trivializes the issue for those who do suffer from a severe condition). TikTok claims to remove videos that discourage seeking professional help, but among the clips analyzed by the newspaper, there are some that propose easy and immediate practices that can distance the person in question from effective treatment. In the end, these supposedly universal and immediate tricks violate a very basic notion: solving mental health problems requires personalized attention. And time.

It's healthy to talk about mental health openly, avoiding taboos and stigma. But both the media and mass content distribution platforms must exercise editorial responsibility, especially considering that, in Catalonia, 54.2% of people watch TikTok at least once a month. This social network earns billions of euros: believing that it only provides other people's content is misleading, because its algorithm favors solutions like brushing with oil... and saffron.