Posts advocate for more mental health hospitals
Meanwhile, conversations spread false claims about immigrants’ mental health and debated the cause of school shootings.
Meanwhile, conversations spread false claims about immigrants’ mental health and debated the cause of school shootings.
This past week, social media posts advocated for more mental health hospitals for people with severe mental health conditions. Plus, conversations repeated false claims about immigrants and mental health and debated whether mental health support for students can prevent school shootings.
In response, communicators may share information about long-term, residential mental health care; provide mental health resources for immigrants; and recirculate mental health resources for students and mass shooting survivors.
Insights brought to you by the reporters and science writers of Public Good News (PGN), a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to improving community health.
What’s trending nationally in conversations about mental health
In February, a politician shared a Facebook post that read, “Bring back the mental health institutions, so jails aren’t the front line of psychiatric care.” Recent X posts reignited discussion about the politician’s stance. One X post, which received approximately 2.5 million views as of April 23, asked others if they support the reestablishment of more mental health hospitals, as many closed in the 1980s and 1990s in an effort to prioritize less restrictive, community-based care. Commenters overwhelmingly supported more long-term options for people in need of residential mental health care. The top comment stated that people with severe mental health conditions “need to be cared for, not left to wander and die on the streets.” Some stated that while they support mental health hospitals, they should be “audited and visited/ inspected constantly” to prevent mistreatment of residents.
A California mother was arrested and charged with murder after allegedly drowning her 7-year-old daughter in a bathtub on April 11. According to the woman’s fiancé, she had a history of “mental and emotional health issues” but had never exhibited violent behavior. He also told a local news website that learning that she might not become a legal U.S. resident may have triggered her most recent depressive episode. Articles about the incident were shared on Facebook and X, where some social media users called for “mass deportations now.” The vast majority expressed stigmatizing attitudes toward immigrants, with some falsely claiming that all immigrants are violent and have mental health conditions.
On April 17, two people were killed and several were injured in a shooting at Florida State University. An X post discussing the shooting read, “When Republicans inevitably blame mental health and not the guns for the Florida State shooting - kindly remind them that 205 of them voted AGAINST a bill to expand school-based mental health services,” garnering approximately 348,000 views, 16,000 likes, 5,600 reposts, and 800 comments as of April 23. In response, commenters debated whether gun access or mental health conditions cause school shootings. Some called for stricter gun control legislation, stating, “They will blame the shootings on anything except for the guns,” while others suggested, “Guns are inanimate objects, of course it’s a mental health issue.” Some said that parents—not schools—should be responsible for students’ mental health care.
Recommendations brought to you by the health communication experts behind Infodemiology.com.
Recommendations for public health professionals
Each week, the Infodemiology.com team will provide messaging recommendations in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. These helpful tips can be used when creating content, updating web and FAQ pages, and developing strategy for messaging about mental health.
In response to posts about mental health hospitals, communicators may share information for people seeking long-term, residential mental health care for themselves or loved ones. Messaging may outline the types of long-term mental health care and direct people to SAMHSA’s treatment directory, where people can find local mental health hospitals and other resources, as well as SAMHSA’s National Helpline (1-800-662-HELP).
Responding directly to stigmatizing and misleading claims about mental health conditions among immigrants is not recommended, as this may detract from sharing key resources. Instead, communicators may circulate mental health resources for undocumented immigrants, information about applying for health insurance based on immigration status, and therapist directories where people can search for culturally competent mental health care providers. Communicators may also want to recirculate general mental health resources that are free or low cost, including support groups and mental health helplines like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Reports of school shootings often lead to increased conversation about mental health. In response, communicators may share resources to help students, teachers, and parents cope with the aftermath of school shootings. Communicators may also want to recirculate general mental health resources geared toward youth and college students, such as therapist databases, support groups, local mental health centers, and mental health support hotlines, including the peer support hotline YouthLine and the Trevor Project’s hotline for LGBTQ+ youth.