Mental health – what’s going on with us?

Is the striving for mental health and an open talk about it something good? The sociologist Laura Wiesböck comes in her book “Digital Diagnoses” To the conclusion: in a way, yes – especially mental illness has long been stigmatized in the past. But in our society based on the benefit, according to Wiesböck, the orientation towards productivity, efficiency and personal responsibility are in general contradiction to the basic needs for our well -being. This means that psychiatric diagnoses are increasingly being used in order to describe ordinary human reactions to everyday suffering. The boom in mental health can go so far that today people hardly allow themselves a legitimate break without referring to an illness. And what does it actually say about us as a society that the grief about the loss of a close person is classified after two weeks as a depressive episode, i.e. mental neurosis?

According to the motto “Hard on Systems, Soft on People”, Wiesböck formulates a razor -sharp and still delicate analysis of the social media trend “mental health”, ie the boom in mental health in social media. It takes a look at specific digital phenomena and their socio-economic framework and shows that everyday suffering is not only classified more and more often than pathological, but at the same time these psychological diagnoses are increasingly marketed. This development leads to emptying and depoliting psychological diagnoses.

Scheinrebellion of the sad girls

In order to show what exactly the psychological boom on social media looks like, Wiesböck looks at the trend of the “Sad Girls”, for example. This means a type of woman who grief on Instagram and Tiktok aesthetically staged and thus only apparently rebellious compared to women who supposedly always have their lives under control and are often referred to as “that girl” on the platforms. The publicly shown sadness is intended to represent a counter -reaction to the neoliberal feminist ideal that women see as self -determined successors – with self -love and economic rise as a goal.

But behind this socially accepted sadness of the usually white and standardized women, according to Wiesböck, remains covered by their socially feared anger. The “Sad Girls” cannot be thought of rebellion against the situation: Depressive women are ultimately more useful for the bourgeois “common good”. Angry women, on the other hand, would stir up deeply seated cultural fears because anger is also a powerful driving force for political resistance-for example against a society that represents female perspectives one-dimensional, as in the form of the “crazy ex-girlfriend”, the “feminzaz” Or the “Angry Black Woman”. In this way, anger cannot be occupied with meaning and a rebellion against the existing conditions is difficult.

Depressive women are ultimately more serious for the bourgeois “common good”.

Interestingly, in the course of the book, Wiesböck repeatedly refers to the dimension of personal grief about social events, for example the global pandemic Covid-19. She asks if it is not just normal to get from everyday sacrifice through such drastic events. For example, with the beginning of the Covid 19 crisis, the ability to concentrate many people suddenly decreased unusually strongly, while-like through magic-the ADHD diagnoses sprout out of the ground as well as medication to increase the ability to concentrate. Is that a coincidence? Wiesböck says: No. Instead of mourning, we would like an increase in willingness to perform as well as suppression of fatigue and physical fatigue. The current orientation of productivity, efficiency and personal responsibility would not be possible for times of disorientation, the allowing and living out of emotional pain.

Wiesböck also shows that social inequality can make mentally ill: racism and discrimination can lead to anxiety disorders as well as pressure pressure and social growth logic. Especially when increasing cost of living and uncertain employment relationships are increasingly deteriorating the economic conditions of many people. In this way, educational advancement is currently being further difficult, social benefits are shortened and many people fight as so -called Working Poor, as a workforce affected, despite full -time job, for their existence. In view of these developments, the question arises whether mental illnesses should primarily be regarded as personal psychological ailments – or whether they are not more expression of structural problems.

Neuroses as a fashion phenomenon

At the same time, the fashion phenomenon of mental illness is driving absurd flowers: there are real accessories on the subject of neuroses, such as crystal-occupied “Anxiety Haar Spang” (anxiety in German is fear, tension, note d. Editor). Such products are mainly marketed on and by people with perfect bodies who represent reputation, success and sexyness. An example of this is the influencer Corinna Head, who has over six million followers on Instagram, produces content for the erotic platform ONLYFANS and successfully launched the shirt “My Anxieties have anxiety”.

This marketing of mental suffering attributes Wiesböck to the market-shaped logic of social media platforms. Formulated pointed: Mental suffering can also be earned well today. However, this does not necessarily lead to an increase in sensitivity to the actual stress of the sick. Instead, an orientation towards profit can lead to a meaning emptying of psychological terms.

Personal experiences with psychological crises are noticeable everywhere and prevention and treatment offers have become more diverse. There are crisis interventions, self -help groups, hotlines, apps and various forms of therapy to get psychological support. This is welcome! At the same time, however, donations of consolation are increasingly regarded as unpaid emotional work, especially on the Internet. Constant people are increasingly advised to contact a therapist. Vulnerability is no longer considered a natural part of being human, but as a disruptive factor in the smooth running of performance and consumption – a problem that must be remedied quickly and efficiently.

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In her book, Laura Wiesböck shows that the dutation of mental suffering on social media at the same time leads to its depoliticization. Their critical reflection of the “digital diagnoses” does not leave anything unless, but is not complicated to read. The reader can take away from this that there are more common spaces in which people are accepted in their crises, exhaustion or sadness – without being under pressure, to follow profit, to follow profit, optimize or grow. One could add to this basic idea of ​​the book that the acceptance, work through and ultimately the overcoming of personal crises simply need a lot of time – a fact that also conflicts the pursuit of efficiency.

But both in psychotherapeutic institutions as well as in the patients themselves, long -lasting treatment methods that want to give crises are less and less well received – also because this can cost a lot of money and then the affected person lacks time. Instead, the use of apps for the treatment of mental problems is promoted as fixes and inexpensive offers of help. The classic psychoanalysis, for example, which strives for profound processing of psychological problems and takes a lot of time, loses not only for health insurance companies, but also in public awareness and even in state psychology studies. It remains to be hoped that political resistance will soon be opposed to the ubiquitous increase in efficiency in the field of mental health. In any case, Laura Wiesböck’s book can be read as a contribution.

Laura Wiesböck: digital diagnoses. Mental health as a social media trend. Zsolnay, 173 p., Br., € 22.