Do you have depression? A summative content analysis of mental health-related content on TikTok.

ABSTRACT:

Background

TikTok is a global social media platform with over 1 billion active users. Presently, there are few data on how TikTok users navigate the platform for mental health purposes and the content they view.

Objective

This study aims to understand the patterns of mental health-related content on TikTok and assesses the accuracy and quality of the advice and information provided.

Methods

We performed a summative content analysis on the top 1000 TikTok videos with the hashtag #mentalhealth between October 12 and 16, 2021. Six content themes were developed to code the data: (1) a personal story, perspective, or confessional, (2) advice and information, (3) emoting, (4) references to death, (5) references to science or research, and (6) a product or service for sale.

SUBMITTER: Turuba R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11748085 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature