Chioma Nwosu-Fakorede is the founder and Executive Director of Olamma Cares Foundation, a mental health advocate, wellness consultant and writer. She uses her lived experience and advocacy work to encourage informed conversations about mental health, reduce stigma and help people access appropriate support.
Mental health conversations on TikTok, Twitter and other social media platforms have turned clinical terms into everyday slang. Is this a concern?
It is a concern because we are sometimes trivialising or turning mental health into social media slang. I hear people having mood swings and saying, “Oh, you’re bipolar,” or calling someone a “neat freak” and saying they have OCD. Sometimes, this waters down the seriousness of these conditions.
However, social media also has positives. Stories that were not openly shared before are now being discussed, and people are becoming more informed.
On my platform, I write a lot, and I have used my lived experience of a mental health condition to spread awareness. I talk about living with bipolar disorder as a mother, a wife and a high achiever. People have come to me saying they can relate because they are struggling or because a sister, friend or family member is experiencing something similar.
People need discernment. They need to know which channels are credible and who they should seek help from. It is not about following everybody. If you follow people who provide accurate information about mental health and speak responsibly about lived experience, you are more likely to get useful information.
So yes, it is a concern, but I am also excited that mental health is now being spoken about. The question is, who are the real influencers, and who is influencing you?
What gets lost when mental health diagnoses are turned into social media language?
One of the things that gets lost is the seriousness of what people who genuinely live with these conditions are experiencing. When you casualise something important, someone who actually has the condition may not be taken seriously. People may say, “Don’t worry, it’s just a mood swing.”
The same applies when people casually joke about suicide. If someone constantly says, “I’m going to kill myself,” people may eventually stop taking such statements seriously. Then, when someone is genuinely suicidal, people may not respond appropriately.
Has social media also helped people, particularly young Nigerians, talk about anxiety, depression and therapy without shame?
Yes. Social media has really opened things up. I started this work about 10 years ago, and before COVID-19, there were not many of us openly talking about mental health. Then COVID came, social media use exploded, internet access increased, and people became more able to talk about these issues.
Whether someone is talking about mental health in a good way or a bad way, the conversation has been triggered. What matters now is how we manage that information so that it is communicated responsibly.
The more social media spreads these conversations, the more comfortable people become talking about mental health. I have seen people rise up, NGOs spring up and individuals become advocates because of social media.
So we cannot condemn what social media has done for us in this space. We have to protect it, manage it and fine-tune it so that it is not left in the hands of people who are using it wrongly.
From my perspective, there have been more positives than negatives, although I cannot speak for everybody. I know social media has also exposed people to bullying and harmful content, including suicidal content. But because I write about my journey, I regularly receive messages from people asking where they can get help for a relative.
Before, people might not have said, “My mother has this.” Now I see people asking, “Where can I get help for my mother?” or “Do you know a rehabilitation centre where I can take my father?” For me, that is a significant positive.
What risks are people exposed to when they self-diagnose after watching a short TikTok video?
That is where the negative side comes in. Everybody is an expert on social media. There is so much opinion. We tell people not to go to Google for a diagnosis because you can have a simple headache and convince yourself that you have cancer. The same risk exists with mental health.
You do not want to trivialise these conditions because you do not understand their gravity? I live with bipolar disorder every day, and it is something I wish I did not have to live with. It has its positives, but it can also be very heavy.
Whenever I speak, I tell people that if I list symptoms, those symptoms are not a diagnosis. Go to your doctor or an appropriate mental health professional and get a proper assessment.
People come to me and tell me what they are experiencing. The first question I ask is, “Do you want to talk, or do you want to see a specialist?” Depending on the conversation, I direct them to the appropriate person. That is proper channelling, and a lot of people do not do it. They see something on social media and diagnose themselves.
Are you seeing more people reporting symptoms they learned about online, such as ADHD, autism or bipolar disorder?
I have seen it. If you open social media, you will see many people identifying themselves as having ADHD, autism, being neurodivergent or having other conditions, sometimes without ever having had a professional assessment.
I do not have a problem with someone recognising that they relate to certain symptoms. If you recognise something and feel there may be an issue, that is okay. But the right thing to do is to speak to the appropriate professional and get a proper assessment.
Self-diagnosis is becoming increasingly common, particularly with ADHD. People are seeing symptoms online and deciding that this is what they have.
Could the cost of professional help also be contributing to this?
Absolutely. Access to therapy and other forms of professional mental health care can be expensive, and I think that is one of the limitations preventing many people from getting the help they need.
When professional care costs tens of thousands of naira, how many people can afford it? The system has not made it easy.
Social media has therefore become an easy way for people to access information about things that are otherwise not easily accessible because of the cost involved.
Mental illness remains heavily stigmatised in Nigeria. Is social media helping to break that stigma?
I think it is both. There are many advocates fighting for these issues, trying to ensure that the right language is being used and that appropriate policies are put in place. But in a country of about 250 million people, the changes we are making cannot compare with the scale of the population.
Negative publicity also spreads faster than positive publicity. That is not only a social media problem; negative news is generally more sellable.
At the end of the day, we need to keep educating people. Even with something as basic as antibiotics, people abuse them. So with a more complex issue such as mental health, it will take time.
The beauty is that the conversations have started. They were not happening in this way five years ago. It may take a long time, but at least we are now having those conversations.
There is also a competition of pain online—“my trauma is worse than yours.” How damaging is that?
It is definitely a thing. People compare their pain, but everybody’s experience is valid. What is the point of comparing pain? We should be comparing positives rather than competing over who has suffered more. There is no value in that comparison.
The trauma I have experienced may seem insignificant to someone else because we were shaped differently. I have talked about having what I call “mommy issues”, and people have laughed because I grew up in a loving family.
But my experience affected me. I grew up with the feeling that I always had to be at the top, and I had to actively learn how to relax and give myself credit. Someone else might have experienced domestic violence or abuse. Their experience is equally valid.
We are all different. Our stories, environments, personalities and experiences shape us differently. Even my two children are different. The way we cope with things is different. Childhood is different. There is therefore no point in comparing trauma.
Which mental health terms would you like people to stop using incorrectly online?
“I am depressed.” Please, take that off your list. When you see someone who is clinically depressed, you would not want to be in that situation.
“I have bipolar disorder.” When someone has mood swings, leave it alone. Being low today and high tomorrow does not mean you have bipolar disorder. There are many symptoms and experiences associated with bipolar disorder, and it is not something you want to casually attribute to yourself or somebody else.
“I have anxiety.” Many of us feel anxious. But when you describe a normal experience of anxiety as a clinical condition without an assessment that becomes a problem.
“I have OCD” because you are clean, arrange your room or like things organised is also problematic. Obsessive-compulsive disorder involves obsessions and/or compulsions that can be distressing and difficult to control. It is much more than simply liking things neat.
ADHD has also become particularly common in online conversations. Every day, I see somebody saying they have ADHD. Before giving yourself that diagnosis, make sure you speak to a professional.
If you genuinely have the condition, use the terms because we need to spread awareness. But if you have never had a professional assessment, please stop trivialising these conditions for people who actually live with them.
Which mental health conditions do you think people should talk about more?
I don’t think we should create a hierarchy of mental health conditions. Every condition affects people differently, and everyone experiencing mental health challenges deserves to be taken seriously.
We have seen people living with depression to the point where they cannot function. They may be unable to maintain their environment, sleep properly or function normally. They may experience changes in appetite, weight or sleep.
I live with bipolar disorder and anxiety as well. I have experienced times when bipolar rage has taken over and I have broken things. But I do not use my condition as an excuse to do nothing. I seek help. I take medication. If I need to be in a psychiatric hospital, I go. I spent five days in a psychiatric hospital when things became really bad.
These are not things we should casually talk about because people who are actually experiencing them are living with serious challenges.
There is no condition that should be spoken about more or less. Everything should be spoken about because every condition is affecting somebody.
What responsibility do influencers, creatives and advocates have when discussing mental health online?
One of the most important responsibilities is to have informed conversations. It is not enough to give statistics. If you say that 90 per cent of people experience something, where did that statistic come from?
Information should be backed by credible evidence. If you are giving statistics, make sure they are verified and accurate. There is also the issue of lived experience. When I share my story, am I sharing what happened in the right context? Am I giving the right information? Am I also careful not to stigmatise the condition itself?
I try to demonstrate that being a high achiever does not mean you cannot have mental health challenges. People see someone achieving things and wonder how that person could have a mental health condition. But no matter who you are or what you achieve, there are things you may go through.
I do not claim to have everything balanced. I try to find balance, and I try to get help. What people see me achieving on camera is often possible because I have people around me supporting me. There are also days that are horrible.
As an advocate, you should put out correct information, show empathy, be sensitive to people and point them in the right direction.
I also do not name my medications because I do not want people self-diagnosing or buying medication because they heard me mention it.
I try to use the correct terms and distinguish between my lived experience and a clinical diagnosis. If I am sharing symptoms, I make it clear that people should seek professional assessment rather than diagnosing themselves.
For a young person scrolling through social media late at night and coming across a post suggesting that they might be depressed or that suicide is a solution, what should they do?
First, pause and don’t let a social media post diagnose you or determine what you do next.
If you recognise yourself in a post about depression, anxiety or another mental health condition, use that as a reason to seek more information and speak to someone you trust or an appropriate mental health professional.
If you are actually thinking about suicide or feel that you may act on those thoughts, please do not stay alone with it. Reach out immediately to someone you trust and seek urgent professional or emergency support.
Speaking from my own lived experience, there have been times when my mental health has become so overwhelming that I have experienced suicidal thoughts. One thing I have learnt is the importance of knowing my warning signs and having people I can reach out to.
I call it having your “911 person” — someone you can contact when you know you are not okay.
Sometimes grounding techniques such as breathing, stepping outside, getting some fresh air or connecting with nature can help me regulate enough to think more clearly. But those things are not a substitute for professional help when someone is in crisis.
Recently, I had an anxiety attack and contacted a clinical psychologist who works with us. She stayed on the phone with me, talked me through it and helped me regulate. My husband is also someone I can tell when I am struggling.
So I think everyone should identify their “911 person” or immediate support system before they need it.
How should schools, religious bodies and parents respond when children begin using psychiatric terms to describe normal stress?
One thing my generation needs to do better is teach children how to filter what they are exposed to.
I am a mother of two, and one of the things I try to do as a parent is to be intentional about what my children are exposed to: what they watch, who they listen to and the language we use around them.
But we also shouldn’t respond by simply shutting down conversations about mental health. Children are going to encounter these issues whether we talk about them or not. There will be social media, bullying, body shaming, anxiety and people feeling like they are not good enough.
If a child uses a psychiatric term incorrectly, don’t immediately say, “That’s nonsense.” Ask: “What makes you think that? What are you experiencing?” The term may be wrong, but the distress underneath it may be real.
Schools also need to take their guidance and counselling units seriously. Children need to trust the people they speak to. Teachers should have basic mental health first-aid knowledge because they are often among the first adults to notice that something is wrong.
My secondary school, Holy Child College in Ikoyi, has done a lot in this area. I have gone there several times to give mental health education, not only to students but also to teachers, administrators and old girls.
Religious institutions also have an important role. Faith can be part of someone’s healing, but it should not prevent someone from accessing professional care. God did not only give us pastors and imams; He also made provisions for doctors, psychologists and other specialists who can help us.
If you were to create guidelines for mental health content aimed at adolescents, what three rules would be non-negotiable?
My first rule would be don’t diagnose young people through content. Mental health content can help someone recognise that they may need support, but it should never tell a teenager, “You have this disorder because you experience these five things.”
The second would be not to romanticise or sensationalise mental illness. Mental illness should not become an aesthetic, a personality trait or something that gives someone social status online.
The third would be always providing a way to help. If you’re going to talk to young people about depression, anxiety, trauma or suicidal thoughts, don’t leave them with a label. Tell them what they can do next, who they can speak to and where they can get appropriate help.
Q: Is there another issue you think needs to be part of this conversation?
I think we should be talking seriously about the growing concern around drug and substance abuse among young people.
I don’t want to speculate about the extent to which social media is driving it, because social media can both expose people to harmful content and provide opportunities for prevention and education.
But what is clear to me is that substance use and mental health are connected in complex ways, and this is something families, schools, communities, policymakers and mental health professionals need to understand better.
We need more conversations about why young people are turning to substances. If we don’t understand the root causes, we cannot properly tackle the problem.
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