Does social media help people seek mental health support?

Conversation around mental health may have become more prominent, but does that mean more people are seeking help? Not necessarily, said Dr Samir Parikh, chairperson and director of the Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences at Fortis Healthcare, at the HealthWealth Summit. “Even today, three-quarters of people experiencing mental health difficulties do not seek help,” Dr Parikh said. He added that the proportion of people seeking help from mental health professionals had not risen dramatically in the past 25 to 30 years. Dr Manushree Gupta, President of the Delhi Psychiatric Society, and Dr Sandeep Vohra, psychiatrist and digital mental health entrepreneur, were also part of the discussion. The experts also discussed the growing use of AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini for mental health support. Dr Gupta cautioned that these tools can reinforce inaccurate self-diagnoses, including ADHD, or encourage users to label partners as narcissistic or toxic. However, he noted that AI could help people overcome the initial hesitation and stigma associated with seeking mental health support.