Case study of informal online mental health communities on Reddit
Date
2024-06-12
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Abstract
The rise of massive informal, user-driven mental health communities on social media presents a novel context for mental health support and promotion offering both transformative opportunities and challenges. The opportunities are especially vital for some individuals given the gaps in mental health services due to provider shortages, system fragmentation, and persistent stigma surrounding serious mental illness. Informal communities endure despite varying expert opinions, even as expert evidence has gathered in support of digital mental health and peer support as viable options for promoting population mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of informal online mental health communities through a case study of mental health communities on the discussion platform Reddit. A qualitative instrumental multicase study design was used to examine three Reddit communities organized around general mental health, depression, and anxiety. The case study methodology encompassed three methods: (1) a scoping review of 54 academic studies of depression and anxiety using data collected from Reddit, (2) a qualitative content analysis of 233 user posts containing the term “medical” posted in selected communities over a one-month period, and (3) a reflexive thematic analysis of 8 in-depth interviews with volunteer moderators of selected communities. Findings were synthesized across each analysis to examine the relationality between informal knowledge of informal online mental health communities, academic knowledge generated by researchers, and the expert knowledge associated with population health science and public health practice. Implications of the case study are discussed in terms of policy and research related to digital population and public health in Canada, as well as community-centered methodologies in mental health research that engages with perspectives of Reddit moderators and users.
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Reddit, Social Media, Depression, Anxiety, Digital mental health, Online communities, Peer support, Qualitative research
Citation
Boettcher, N. (2024). Case study of informal online mental health communities on Reddit (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.