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Below is a variety of information about social contagion, self-diagnosis, and identity formation in adolescents. Social contagion is the rapid spread of behavior, attitude, or emotion through a social group. To prove the existence of social contagion of mental disorders, scientists conducted a population-based study on all Finnish citzens born from 1985 to 1997. The study found that students who had a peer in the ninth grade class who was diagnosed with a mental disorder were more likely to be diagnosed with a mental disorder later in life. One of the most well-known forms of social contagion is mass hysteria. In recent years, social media has drastically increased the speed at which social contagions spread; Adolescents, who were already more susceptible to social contagion, are the primary users of social media. Examples of social contagion spread through social media are self-injury, suicide, self-diagnosis, and the adoption of symptoms of mental disorders. Teens copy not only behaviors but symptoms from online; they may not even be aware of the fact they are faking symptoms. Someone could adopt the identity of having a mental disorder without confirmation of diagnosis from a professional, potentially leading them down the wrong path. Without clinical context, it’s difficult to interpret whether a behavior is normal (ex: procastination) or abnormal (ex: ADHD paralysis). Adolscents are forming their identities, developing autonomy, and discovering themselves, trying to find understanding and validation from others. Mental disorders are often treated like personality traits or identities akin to someone’s career, passion, or sexuality in online communities. Online mental health communities (and many other online communities) are often echo chambers that will blindly affirm someone’s self-diagnosis. Adoloscents can get caught in a cycle where they see a piece of relatable content about a mental disorder, recognize a similar trait in themselves, seek out more content surrounding that disorder, recongize more traits in themselves, and engage with a community that affirms and validates their self-diagnosis. This can be especially harmful because mental health influencers tend to spread misinformation, pathologize normal behavior, or overgeneralize.Similarly, the algorithm tends to push misinformation. Online mental health communities can be beneficial if someone suspects they have a disorer, but they should only be used as a starting point to seek out professional help or to raise awareness.

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