TikTok mental health and the impact of adolescent self-diagnosis exploration in the counselling room: a reflexive thematic analysis of therapeutic practice

Abstract

This thesis explores how therapists perceive and work with adolescent clients who are exploring self-diagnosis of mental health conditions after viewing social media content. Using semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, the thesis examines the experiences of six qualified therapists working with young people in Scotland. Two research questions guide this investigation: "What are therapists' perceptions of what a self-diagnosis means for adolescent clients?" and "How are therapists working with adolescent clients exploring a self-diagnosis from social media?" The analysis reveals that therapists perceive social media self-diagnosis as serving multiple functions for adolescents, including identity formation, seeking certainty during a developmental period of ambiguity, and communicating needs. While therapists expressed concerns about algorithmic influence and misinformation, they maintained primarily humanistic approaches in their practice, prioritizing the therapeutic alliance and exploring the meaning of self-diagnosis for each client. The study found that therapists often navigate this phenomenon without specific training, leading to an expansion of their professional roles to include viewing social media content in sessions, providing psychoeducation, and explaining formal diagnostic processes. This research contributes original insights to an emerging field, highlighting implications for therapeutic practice, supervision, and training, while identifying the need for additional resources to support therapists working with this growing presentation in the post-pandemic digital landscape