During COVID-19, the country observed an unprecedented spike in depression. Before the pandemic, less than 1 in 10 Americans struggled with depression. That number has more than tripled, numbers now indicate that 1 in 3 Americans suffer from depression. Mental health care providers and advocates have felt the call to arms, and some of them have taken to social media to offer extra support and normalize getting help.
This new wave of mental health influencers includes Lindsay Flemming, Shani Tran, and Dr. Julie Smith. These women have used their large platforms on TikTok to bring awareness to the realities of mental health, destigmatize it, and offer relatable support to make mental health care providers more approachable.
Lindsay Flemming summed up the mental health experience when she said, “If you had a broken ankle, would it be weak to go to the doctor? No. Would it be weak to put a cast on? No. Mental health and physical health are both equally important.”
We wholeheartedly agree with Lindsay and applaud these women as well as other mental health influencers who surfaced during the largest mental health epidemic in history.