By SUHANA MISHRA

When discussing treatment outcomes, we usually talk about dosage, adherence, and access. Rarely do we speak about algorithms. 

Yet as I began working on a scoping review examining misinformation and disinformation in mental health with a team at the Royal College of Psychiatrists led by Dr. Subodh Dave, I realized that some of the most powerful determinants of patient outcomes are not confined to clinics. They live in comment sections, short-form videos, and anonymous threads that shape people’s view on what is the “truth”. In fact, the NY Post says, “over half of top TikTok mental health videos contained misleading information”. 

I chose to do this research because I’ve seen how a single online post or video can change the way someone thinks about their own mental health. I’ve witnessed my very own family members be discouraged to follow a treatment plan based on an inaccurate post sent in a WhatsApp group chat. By examining misinformation in collaboration with experts, I hope to identify practical strategies to help clinicians and public health professionals address their hidden determinants of mental health outcomes. 

One of the most striking lessons that I’ve learned is that misinformation in psychiatry doesn’t always seem like a conspiracy. It can often seem like comfort. According to an ArXiv study from Cornell University, people adopt misinformation because it satisfies psychological and social needs rather than accuracy goals. 

A viral post on a Reddit thread r/antipsychiatry which claimed antidepressants “numb your personality” may be rooted in one person’s difficult experience. A video on tiktok circulating discouraging medication in favor of “natural rewiring” may promise autonomy in a system that feels impersonal. These narratives spread not because they are outrageous conspiracy theories, but because they really resonate with people.

That resonance has consequences.