Social media users urged to listen to expert's 'life-changing' views on mental health

An expert’s insights into the link between social media and mental health have been described as ‘life changing’. It comes as Steven Bartlett, the host of Diary Of A CEO, welcomed Dr Alok Kanojia, known online as HealthyGamerGG, in an eye-opening interview.

Dr Kanojia, a psychiatrist and co-founder of the mental health coaching firm ‘Healthy Gamer’, focuses on contemporary stressors like social media, video games, and online dating through his company.

After the interview was released on Bartlett’s YouTube channel, he took to Instagram to share his enthusiasm with his four million followers, claiming the discussion had altered his perspective dramatically.

His Instagram Story read: “Tomorrow’s episode on DOAC changing my life, mind and future in a big way. I’ve just re-listened (which is extremely rare!)

“I hope you’re able to listen. It’s really good. And for some of you, it’ll give you some of the answers you’ve been looking for. Trust me on this one.”

At the conversation’s outset, Dr Kanojia tackled what he brands as the ‘TikTok-ification of mental health’, reports Gloucestershire Live.

Elaborating on this ‘TikTok-ification of mental health’ concept, Dr Kanojia acknowledged the dual nature of social media’s impact, noting: “I think the really good thing about it is that there is a lot more awareness of mental health.”

The expert warned that while increased awareness of mental health issues is a positive development, it has also led to a rise in people self-diagnosing on the internet based on limited information.

“The biggest problem is that everyone is jumping to a conclusion on the internet which then causes problems, because that may not be the right conclusion,” he cautioned.

Dr Kanojia emphasised the need for professional diagnosis, noting that a single symptom could be indicative of various conditions, and online self-diagnosis can lead to misdiagnoses with potentially serious consequences.

Regarding male mental health, he pointed out that men often try to rectify external factors in their lives, such as career or financial troubles when they should be focusing on internal development. He advocated for the importance of cultivating emotional intelligence over intellectual prowess.

“If you’re a man who wants to get better 90% of what you need to do is not outside of you it’s actually inside of you,” Dr Kanojia stated, stressing the significance of understanding ones own emotions and developing self-regulation skills.

“But this is not where men look, we we think, ‘I need to get this kind of car, I need to get sexier, I need to be able to bench twice as much’, so we always look to things outside of ourselves. But in the majority of the work that I’ve done with men, the work that they need to do, is internal.”

Women face battles with their mental health akin to men, suffering from feelings of disconnection from goals, loneliness, and a lack of control over their well-being, he said. However, women might hold an edge in tackling mental health concerns owing to biological and social conditioning, according to Dr Kanojia.

He stated that oestrogen plays a significant role by boosting emotional cognisance and the ability to express themselves verbally, giving women a boon in traditional therapeutic environments. From early on, girls are groomed to excel in listening and offering emotional sustenance, which may explain why they outperform men in verbal tasks, he suggested.

Continuing his observations, he noted: “I think 99% of human beings on the planet, myself included, can benefit from learning more about themselves. But I think that women have somewhat of a leg up, which is why women are set 70% of patients who seek psychotherapy. Even 70% of therapists are women so there there’s a very clear gender gap in the field of mental health.”

Despite having seemingly fulfilling social lives, including jobs, relationships, and friends, individuals can still experience intense loneliness, according to an expert.

He warned that focusing on external factors such as appearance, social skills, and professional success to combat loneliness could exacerbate the issue by creating a false persona that attracts others, rather than revealing the true individual.

“I see so many people who have jobs, even have girlfriends or boyfriends, have friends, and they feel so incredibly lonely,” he stated. Dr Kanojia suggested that those who are ‘externally focused’ are likely to feel quite lonely.

As a result, people often feel compelled to put themselves ‘out there’ more. “So what I’m going to do is transform myself and this is where a lot of it is so interesting, because a lot of the guidance we give people helps in some way, but actually worsens the problem.”

He also pointed out that the version of themselves that people present on social media may not accurately reflect their true day-to-day selves. He cautioned that this discrepancy could cause problems when seeking friends and especially when dating.

Discussing the dangers of devices in relationships, Dr Kanojia told Bartlett how technology has arguably had a negative impact on social connections, primarily by leading to poor social skills and ‘deconditioning’ certain parts of the brain. He emphasised that, much like muscles, the human brain requires activity and use to thrive.

Excessive texting could lead to brain atrophy in areas crucial for nonverbal communication interpretation, potentially fuelling social anxiety, an expert also said.

“We know is that encouraging neuroplasticity through things like learning how to play the piano at the age of 60 will protect us from dementia,” he explained.

“To keep our brains robust, we must engage them actively. It’s akin to physical exercise; the more you work your muscles, the stronger they become.

“The more you use your brain, the more it grows. So when we look at connections, if you actually look at human communication, words are maybe 25-50% of communication at most.”

While social media can be a force for good, raising awareness and understanding of societal issues such as social anxiety, suicide rates, and loneliness, the expert highlighted that technological advancements have also brought about negative side effects, including video game addiction and increased loneliness.

He discussed the profound effects of extended isolation, especially among young men, which leads to challenges in seeking support, discussing problems, and comprehending their own emotions. “The only reason we’re losing the ‘war’ is because we haven’t been fighting back,” Dr Kanojia stated.

“Why haven’t we been fighting back? Technologies play a pretty significant role in this. I think we’re really good at creating things without understanding what they will do to us because the impact doesn’t show its face for a couple of decades sometimes.”