How Instagram has destigmatised the mental health conversation

The duo have moved from reluctant collaborators to fast friends

Growing up with social anxiety means that you learn to expect certain things, such as politely excusing yourself from a large gathering to gulp in some fortifying solitude before steeling yourself to return inside—crowded team lunches were my personal hellscape for the longest time. What I did not expect, however, was to casually open Instagram and be confronted with the words, ‘Everybody has a responsibility to keep the conversation going, not just me’, crisply penned in a sans serif typeface as part of an Instagram post by therapist Abby Rawlinson on how to reframe social anxiety. The words may not hold much gravitas for many, but for someone who has often agonised over the right thing to say at a crowded table—often even rehearsing mentally before chickening out with a deferential nod—it proved to be a life-changing occurrence. And with every comment posted below the post, a beautiful, if belated, realisation dawned: wait, perhaps it’s not just me.

Instagram has gotten a bad rap over the years—friends have often told me that they’ve been instructed by their therapists to dial back their time on the app. Acres of newsprint have been devoted to the culture of toxic comparison breeding on the platform and its impact on self-esteem and promoting feelings of inadequacy have been the source of much hand-wringing. And yet, a growing cohort of vocal advocates and certified therapists have been working on reclaiming the narrative. The content—served in slick, easy-to-watch videos in bite-sized doses—informs but doesn't overwhelm. The captions—stripped of technical jargon and artifice—are penned straight from the heart and peppered with personal experiences that make you feel seen.

"Research has shown that 20 per cent of young people worldwide suffer from mental illnesses, and in India, only 7.3 per cent of the 365 million youth have reported this. This points to a long-standing history of mental health being trivialised,” says Tanvi Sardesai, a clinical psychologist at Masina Hospital in Mumbai, who believes that mental literacy is alarmingly low in the country. She adds, “There’s a component of shame and embarrassment attached to seeking help for mental health. Other factors such as poverty and safety can also make mental health not a priority for many.”

Virtual reality

In a bid to bridge this gap, a new host of mental health advocates and certified professionals are taking to Instagram to dismantle the stigma around mental health. The modus operandi ranges from minimalist doodles—like Pranita Kocharekar’s fortune cookie illustration that serves as a handy reminder to leverage feelings as feedback for growth—to snacky reels and video content that attempts to break down complex issues into a bite-sized digest for the average layperson. While you will find a video of Aanandita Vaghani—a counselling psychologist—using an adorable dog and a trendy song to illustrate the benefits of being highly sensitive, you will also discover a cute swipe-able, shareable listicle about overthinking, reasons why people ghost and emotional self-harm on Bobbi Banks’ page.

Phalguni Nayak, a 32-year-old social media manager, recounts how Vienna Pharaon of @mindfulmft's posts have played a crucial role in her healing journey. "On a tough day, her posts are a reminder that it is never too late to work on your relationship with yourself. Through her words, I have found the strength to nurture my relationship with myself, and I was surprised to find that the payoff has been visible in different aspects of my life. I can now set better boundaries as well as spot the red flags of any toxic people or influences and learn how to distance myself from them sooner rather than later," she shares.


The impact of more people coming forward with their experiences on the platform is visible in the unintentional creation of a community that learns from—and with—each other. Further proof can be found in The Artidote, a mental health platform on the app created by Jovanny Varela, that serves as a safe space for people to empathise, bond and heal through art. In its most recent post, the handle crowd-sourced advice from its one-million strong following and the result is an outpouring of love and positivity anchored by real-life learnings, ranging from the need to establish boundaries to the virtues of having a good cry.

For Kocharekar, the mental health renaissance has enabled her to let go of urgency and instead choose to be vulnerable on the app. “In a world governed by the twin diktats of ‘tears are for the weak’ and ‘log kya kahenge’—especially in the context of Indian families—the sense of community helps create a shared experience. I try to always share my vulnerabilities whenever I can because it leads to messages from other folks who find calm and peace in my vulnerability, knowing that they're also heard here in this space,” she shares.

While seeking help is necessary, the first step is self-awareness of what is really happening in your internal world, she believes. “Simply knowing that you're not alone in your experience can work wonders for destigmatising mental health. Instagram has now become a space for information and communication, a place where one can express their opinions and have a community respond,” she adds. So, is it possible for everyone to find answers on the platform? “No, but I have found that the app makes it simpler to reach out to a community for suggestions and recommendations from lived experiences,” says the Mumbai-based artist.

If the virtual verse is key in normalising the conversation around mental health, it comes as little surprise that the digital natives of Gen Z have been discovered to be 37 per cent more likely to opt for therapy than their preceding generations, according to research by the American Psychological Association. “Watching relatable faces can make it easier for those going through a hard time to seek help by validating their experiences and making it less overwhelming. It can also work towards reducing the shame and embarrassment associated with mental health,” observes Sardesai.

Proceed with caution

Mumbai-based psychologist Raashi K Mutreja's Instagram feed is another example of those furthers the conversation on mental health—her recent video demystified the classification of emotions as good or bad against the backdrop of pop music as a short, hip way to attract attention to a much-neglected subject. However, she advises a word of caution when opting for help through the medium of Instagram. “Social media is a good place to initiate conversations around health and learn from the lived experience of other individuals. However, it can not replace therapy,” she asserts. While people coming out about their experiences can have enormous value, she remains concerned about the lack of responsibility and control in terms of the information being shared. “Reductive, one-size-fits-all advice, random sharing of things that match one's own experience without validating sources, 30-second meditation instructions to 'treat' anxiety and other such practises are extremely harmful. So while we work on increasing awareness and starting conversations about mental health, we need to be mindful about the content as well as how we put it out there,” she advises.

Ultimately, Mutreja believes that with great exposure comes great responsibility. Sharing one’s lived experiences and expressing feelings can be a positive and impactful experience, but she recommends bearing in mind the generic nature of the platform. “For Instagram to work for you, you need to know there is no universal formula for lived experiences as they are unique to each human. Hence, it can not be a substitute for therapy. Furthermore, personal messages to a therapist might feel direct but do not compare to the space that is created during therapy with empathy, active listening and understanding for one’s lived experiences that can have a greater impact on your healing journey,” she concludes.

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