TY  - JOUR
AU  - Basch, Corey H
AU  - Donelle, Lorie
AU  - Fera, Joseph
AU  - Jaime, Christie
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/5/19
TI  - Deconstructing TikTok Videos on Mental Health: Cross-sectional, Descriptive Content Analysis
JO  - JMIR Form Res
SP  - e38340
VL  - 6
IS  - 5
KW  - TikTok
KW  - mental health
KW  - adolescent
KW  - social media
KW  - short video apps
KW  - content analysis
KW  - digital health
KW  - online health
KW  - visual media
KW  - descriptive content analysis
KW  - mental distress
KW  - health professional
KW  - health care professional
AB  - Background: Social media platforms that are based on the creation of visual media, such as TikTok, are increasingly popular with adolescents. Online social media networks provide valuable opportunities to connect with each other to share experiences and strategies for health and wellness. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the content of the hashtag #mentalhealth on TikTok. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive content analysis study included 100 videos with the hashtag #mentalhealth on TikTok. All videos that included the hashtag #mentalhealth were analyzed and coded for the presence of content categories. Additionally, the comments to each video were viewed and coded for content in the following themes: offering support or validation; mentioning experience with suicide or suicidal ideation; mentioning experience with self-harm; describing an experience with hospitalization for mental health issues; describing other mental health issues; and sharing coping strategies, experiences of healing, or ways to feel better. Results: Collectively, the 100 videos studied received 1,354,100,000 views; 266,900,000 likes; and 2,515,954 comments. On average, each video received 13,406,930.69 (SD 8,728,095.52) views; 2,657,425.74 (SD 1,449,920.45) likes; and 24,910.44 (SD 21,035.06) comments. The only content category observed in most (51/100, 51%) of the videos included in the sample was “general mental health.” The remaining content categories appeared in less than 50% of the sample. In total, 32% (32/100) of the videos sampled received more than the overall average number of likes (ie, more that 2.67 million likes). Among these 32 videos, 23 (72%) included comments offering support or validation and 20 (62%) included comments that described other mental health issues or struggles. Conclusions: With over 1 billion cumulative views, almost half of the assessed TikTok videos included in this study reported or expressed symptoms of mental distress. Future research should focus on the potential role of intervention by health care professionals on social media. 
SN  - 2561-326X
UR  - https://formative.jmir.org/2022/5/e38340
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/38340
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35588057
DO  - 10.2196/38340
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/38340
ER  -