https://youtu.be/CH3_hC32Obo his ABC News story covers the idea of adolescents self-diagnosing and being influenced by TikTok videos. This video does a good job of ensuring that whatever someone may be feeling is valid and heard and understood while also addressing that it is possible to go down a rabbit hole discovering new symptoms of rare mental illnesses. They address the importance of continuing to have these videos up, as they are raising awareness, however, teens are especially susceptible to believing what they see on social media. I also appreciate that this video addresses the fact that we, as a whole world, need to work on meeting halfway by providing more psychiatric care, but also the proper education on mental health and a willingness to listen and learn.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdV4NGmb/ Tourette's, like all other mental illnesses and disabilities, is no joke. My cousin, who is a child psychiatrist, has told me on several occasions that every day she has patients coming in with new 'tics' thinking they have Tourettes. It is 100% possible that some of these patients do in fact have Tourettes, however, she believes that TikTok has caused an uprising in tics, without people even really knowing. It is possible that through watching so many videos about symptoms, symptoms develop, and they aren't actually Tourette's, it's just symptoms that mimic Tourette's. Similar to how people tend to pick up on habits that the people they spend the most time around have, people, can also pick up on habits from videos they see frequently.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdVXVdWK/ This is yet another video that lists just a few symptoms of autism, which could lead to people believing they are on the spectrum. As someone who has grown up with an autistic brother, I can tell you that back in 2002, he did not get diagnosed because of any form of social media, he got diagnosed based on signs, which just happen to be many of the ones shown in this TikTok. Again, this video and videos like this are great indicators for people to go seek further medical attention, however, they become problematic when people just assume that because they share similar mannerisms they are automatically on the spectrum. People, specifically adolescents in their Identity v. Role Confusion stage of life, make the assumption that they fit into each pocket of mental disorder or disability just to have a community…which is great if they truly have the disorder and are looking for peace and unity and community through that, however, the assumptions without actions are astronomical.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdVXgPXf/ This video is another example of someone sharing their experience with having ADHD and because of this video, it is possible that people who share similar symptoms immediately thought that they had ADHD too. Walking through campus alone, ADHD is something that is widely talked about, and there should be aware of it, however, I know more people that think they have ADHD than people who don't think they have ADHD, and TikTok has had an influence on these thoughts. It's not uncommon to hear, "My for you page keeps showing me all these videos about symptoms of ADHD and I'm not trying to self-diagnose, but I think there's I chance I have it," and then they continue to go on about their day without reaching out for help or an official diagnosis. It seems that more people are learning that they may have some sort of mental disorder and just living with acceptance and struggling than people who are learning they may have some sort of mental disorder and actually go and get help for it.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdVXEdM3/ While this TikTok isn't 15-seconds, it still gets the point across. This one-minute video lists and describes three symptoms of depression, which are all very real and very valid. It even explains how and/or why someone could be experiencing each symptom, for example, when she talks about low energy, it is explained that it can feel like a physical sensation or it can just feel like sleepiness. The TikTokers username also gives her credibility. Dr. Melissa Shepard makes it very clear that she is a psychiatrist and in her user name, she has "MD," which also adds credibility. This makes people who scroll past her videos more susceptible to believing they have whatever illness she may be describing. While this video has the capability to make someone aware that they might be experiencing some symptoms of depression, it is not an official medical diagnosis, despite her credibility, or anyone's credibility on TikTok. I think this is something that people mistake for a lot, they think that because they feel how a TikTok describes a certain mental illness, they are officially diagnosed, which again, is not the case. These TikToks are great helpful videos to encourage people to talk to their doctor if they're feeling the way the video describes, but basing everything on one TikTok is not going to be the solution to anyone's mental illness.

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/01/gen-z Social media has allowed more outlets to talk about mental health issues and the stigmatism behind mental health issues, which I think is a really good thing, for the most part. According to apa.org, Gen Z statistically has more mental health issues than other generations. Some of this relates to issues that Gen Z has had to deal with significantly more than other generations such as immigration issues, sexual assault, and mass shootings. The higher statistics also partially come from more Gen Z members reporting their mental health problems, in comparison to other generations. Gen Z has caused a movement to push for people to speak out about their mental health struggles, and as people continue to speak out, it further encourages other people to join in on the movement. This push has created a great sense of community through Gen Z, in-person and online. There are also sub-communities to the umbrella community of mental health. The sub-communities tend to break off via different types of mental health struggles, meaning depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, etc. There are many people who fall under multiple categories who have found a lot of strength in those communities. There are also people who are unsure if they fall under any category, or if they fall under a different category than they thought they did, so they first turn to the internet to identify signs and symptoms. The internet isn't always 100% reliable in comparison to seeking professional help, however, for many people it is the starting point of their mental health journey and discovers how to identify how they are feeling or why they are acting the way they are.

Community is vital during a time of self-discovery, and for some adolescents, it may be challenging to find community in their physical location, so they turn to the internet. Douglas Holt says "Social media binds together communities that once were geographically isolated, greatly increasing the pace and intensity of collaboration." Essentially, Holt is saying that social media allows anyone to find a community in any part of the world. This is crucial to adolescent development because it allows them to find people who feel and act similar to what they do. It can lead to a positive development in self-identification.

https://medium.com/@a.robinson4382/did-my-emo-phase-shape-who-i-am-today-145ea85fabca Similar to the increase of mental health diagnoses due to TikTok, the 'emo' phase many millennials went through also began through social media, the difference is that the 'emo' phases began as social media was first being created. For the most part, only Millennials experienced some form of an 'emo' phase due to their age (12-18, in the range of Erik Erikson's Identity v. Role Confusion) and due to the influence of the new social media.

https://www.verywellmind.com/identity-versus-confusion-2795735 Identity v. Role Confusion typically occurs during the ages of 12 and 18. This stage is all about having self-discoveries and exploring having a sense of independence. With these self-discoveries, comes internal conflict in relation to social interaction and different relationships. The major question is "Who am I?" which is where the identity crisis comes in. This confusion is heightened by changing hormones and changing life situations, such as changing schools and friend groups. Ages 12-18 are a pivotal time in an adolescent's life. This 'discovery' stage can impact how they view themselves for many years and may even cause long-term mental struggles. This is when many teens turn to social media for a sense of community. Self-discovery can be extremely isolating and having any sort of community can feel like what someone needs at that time.

These 'communities' can be formed via algorithms in social media. Social media as a whole has algorithms all throughout its apparatuses. For example, Instagram has its explore page which generates posts based on photos that the user has previously liked. In a similar fashion, TikTok generates each user for you page based on what they've previously liked. This is why when people sign up for social media, the app asks each person to provide a little bit of information on their interests and disinterests. Silva and Kenney said "Algorithmic 'machines' are built with specific hypotheses about the relationship between persons and things. As techniques such as machine learning and more generally deployed, concerns are become more acute." These relationships between persons and things are what can create a sense of community on the internet. The communities are formed when the algorithms of different people line up based on mutual thoughts or interests. These communities can range from fan bases for influencers or musicians to people who have mutual mental health issues or trauma that use their found community as a support system.