20 NEVER Seen Mental Health Memes. A Review of Mental Health and Memes

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an unusual warning in December 2021. He reported that young people are enduring a “devastating” mental health crisis that has been getting worse since the pandemic began. Even before the pandemic began, mental health experts were warning us for years that mental health problems amongst America’s youth have been rising.

Given the mental health crisis that we face, it’s not surprising that mental health memes are a popular way for people to express their frustrations, struggles, and discontent. I am trying to do something about my own struggles but the next available appointment with my doctor is not for another month and a half. I’m sure most readers can relate to this problem, but while I wait I’ve decided to explore the relationship between mental health and memes. I wanted to better understand how people use memes to express their mental health struggles and cope with these struggles, and how memes have helped us as a society reach a (marginally) better understanding of mental health.

What is a meme?

Memes existed long before the internet, they’ve existed since at least 17 A.D. in hieroglyphics about Pompeii.

So if it’s more than just funny pictures and captions on the internet, what is a meme? According to Merriam-Webster, a meme is “an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture”.

Internet memes are just the latest, high-tech version of an ancient phenomenon. Every internet meme spreads an idea, usually through social media. In the case of mental health memes, they spread ideas about mental health struggles.

How are memes and mental health related?

Internet memes are the easiest type of meme to spread. Because so many people are struggling with their mental health, it only makes sense that they are embracing an easy way to express these struggles.

Isn’t that kinda dark?

Mental health is a serious topic. This enormous umbrella term encompasses a lot of taboo topics such as suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, identity, various dysphorias, death, substance abuse, and more. Memes are generally seen as humorous jokes. Isn’t it in poor taste to make jokes about mental health?

Well, lots of people will anecdotally tell you that these memes help them with their mental health battles. But guess what? Now science is even backing this idea up. A study of the relationship between depression memes and depression, scientists noticed that people with depression tended to enjoy depression memes more than regular memes. What’s more is that they found these memes help improve the mood of people with depression.

Mental health is not a joke

As funny as these memes are, it’s important to remember that mental health is not a joke. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health, and mental health struggles can actually have a negative impact on your physical health.

If you are struggling with your mental health, please seek as much help as you are able to. It’s important. It is unfortunate that there are so many obstacles to getting help for your mental health. There are cultural stigmas, insurance problems, and long wait times to see therapists. I myself am dealing with the wait time issue too, but I am managing.

There are resources that you can use to get help. There are online counseling options that have become more popular over the last couple of years, although these have problems associated with them. BetterHelp is the most popular online therapy platform, but it has been the subject of controversies including rumors that they mistreat therapists and sell patient data. Their privacy policy is vague enough to be ambiguous.

There are other options though. In addition to online counseling, there are also traditional counseling services that you can seek in your area. Many local therapists will even offer their services to patients through telehealth appointments.

In addition to therapy, there are still other options that you can pursue. Chances are you can find support groups in your area or online that will help you with your specific needs and struggles. In addition to support groups, you can also try calling hotlines for immediate support.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line: 741741

YouthLine: 1-877-968-8491

YouthLine (Text teen2teen): 839863

Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453 (call or text)

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233