Many memes you’ll see here tackle serious issues like anxiety in jest. According to licensed therapist Theodora Blanchfield, memes enable people to make jokes about their condition because of their presentation.
In an article for Very Well Mind, Blanchfield mentioned a study suggesting that memes can help promote emotional regulation when dealing with harsher subjects like mental health.
Human connection is a huge deal for everyone, especially those struggling with their mental health. Knowing that someone shares the same challenges as you do makes the burdens feel more bearable, at the very least.
As Blanchfield points out, memes build a connection between people through communal enjoyment and laughter. It also creates a “shared” language.
“Missing out on a meme won’t kill you, but having that shared language will help bring you closer,” she wrote.
However, we can’t sweep the downsides under the rug. Some studies have suggested that memes may trivialize the realities of mental health struggles like depression by expressing them humorously.
Others may see it as a way of promoting ideas of self-harm, which have been on a steady rise over the recent years.
Ultimately, it’s all about finding the balance. For psychotherapist Dr. James Davies, it’s seeing memes for what they really are and taking them with a grain of salt.
“The true value of these memes is revealed through analyzing their social function, which is to communicate deep discontent,” Dr. Davies told Refinery29 in an interview.
Now, we’d like to hear from you, readers. Do mental health memes help alleviate your struggles even slightly? Let us know in the comments!
