To wonder why companies that cause mental illness aren't punished like companies that cause other illness?

[PatoPotato]

I overheard that some people around the world can choose to undergo euthanasia because of mental illness.

This made me consider that much of marketing in business today plays on insecurities of the public. Social media and vloggers manipulate the feelings of people and make them feel insecure in order to get them to buy things. How is this a thing? If mental illness can be a reason to undergo euthanasia, certainly we shouldn't allow companies to inflict mental manipulation on the public? I believe suicide amongst the young has gone up badly since social media has become a thing. Why are we letting these companies put us in an eternal popularity contest of likes so we become addicted to the attention and keep going back to the site in hopes we click on an advert? This sounds like something that we are getting very, very wrong.

AIBU to wonder why companies that cause mental illness aren't punished like companies that cause other illness?

Which companies have been punished in what way for causing which illnesses

Off the top of my head I think many companies (or insurance companies) have been stung for payouts for cancers which are seen in people who have been exposed to asbestos. I’m sure there was a case where a woman who was exposed to it as a result of cuddling her grandad when she was young (I can’t remember where I heard or read this though so I can’t back it up)

Firstly, I don't think we can prove any direct link between social media and mental health issues which would stand in a court and allow anyone to be prosecuted for causing a mental health issue! Also, mental health problems often don't have one singular cause, this is simplifying the issue greatly. An otherwise mentally healthy person would not become mentally ill due to simply watching a vlogger or using social media a few times. And, say we WERE triggered by social media or a vlogger. Are the social media companies, or the vlogger - who didn't MAKE me watch them, who didn't come into contact with me, who don't even know I exist - responsible that I personally made the decision to watch/use them and presumably continue to do so even after my mental health began to deline?

People who are prone to or vulnerable to mental illness already can be triggered by literally anything and starting to try and not only pinpoint but also prosecute this would be impossible and just... Crazy!

Once you open those floodgates where would it end? Schools, colleges and universities being prosecuted for stressing out students with exams and essay deadlines, and therefore triggering mental health issues? Neighbours having disputes being prosecuted for giving each other mental health issues? People being locked up for breaking up with a partner and triggering their mental health issues?

I suffer from anxiety, one way it manifests is as severe health anxiety, and I can easily be triggered by posts on Mumsnet which don't come with a warning in the title. Could I prosecute Mumsnet? Actually what sets me off more than anything is well-meaning awareness adverts from the NHS and charities. Would I be able to prosecute them? That would cost the NHS a fortune as I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I also can be triggered by newspapers and the news - seeing certain stories can set me off easily and I can be quite unwell for months. Could I prosecute the newspaper that I chose to read? Or the radio that I chose to listen to? Etc? This is just unrealistic. Literally all media sources would have to close down.

Also, how could we possibly prove what caused a mental health issue? Pinpoint the one, single route cause? The court cases would be a disaster.

What about people who are prone to mental health issues (for example, some conditions are not hereditary but there's a higher chance of someone suffering if a parents or family members have). Would these people all have to be exempt from getting anyone punished as nobody could be fully to blame?

What if I'm left feeling triggered by a situation I put myself in? Could it be argued that actually, it wasn't the business that triggered the problem but rather it was ME who caused it, as I, as a mentally healthy adult individual who is capable of making my own decisions, decided to do something which ultimately was bad for my mental health? Why should other people be prosecuted for that?

I'm just trying to illustrate that this would be not only pretty impossible, but it would also be a very dangerous route for society to go down, floodgate-wise.

@EGate I was. Coming home for weeks crying.

I am not sure why are you asking me directly? Have I missed something connecting this to my posts?

There's one particular song which triggers nightmares, low mood, anxiety and general distress. Other people will be triggered by different songs so totally unreasonable.

No one forced anyone to buy baby powder from Johnson and Johnson, but if they were injured from it then the company is responsible.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/news/3506164/talcum-baby-powder-johnson-johnson-cancer-lawsuit/amp/

You could say that no one can prove where they got cancer from, but that doesn't excuse the risk.

If social media provides bullies a platform and doesn't stop the user from being injured then I think the company should be held responsible.

If social media provides bullies a platform and doesn't stop the user from being injured then I think the company should be held responsible.

Same would go for phone companies, email providers, Royal Mail... If there are no sicial media, do you think bullies will just disappear? They were here long before and will be long after. Unless parents start doing something all together about their children bullying others🤷‍♀️

but you can (more or less) prove the link between the baby powder and the injury, how on earth do you prove it was x blogger and not your gorgeous neighbour who triggered your mental illness?

There's no such thing as a social media manipulation! You can't treat people like idiots or young kids and "protect" them from everything.

Just being pedantic now, but if I took someone to court to blame them for causing me mental health issues, and the court established that the company was NOT to blame, and this decision in turn caused me further mental health issues, could I take the court to court?

How are you going to prove definitively that a company called someone's mental illness?

Courts would rip people apart in examining previous history and God help anyone who was on anti-depressants (like amitriptyline) for pain.

How do you prove a person wasn't susceptible to MH issues anyway? I just don't think it would work.

I think the obsession with SM being the cause of society’s obsessional behaviour really ironic

If you don’t like SM do not use it
Don’t contribute
Teach your DC about it
Be your own influencer

You can’t just tell everyone SM is making them ill IMO this shifts people mindsets from looking at their own choices. So it’s not the fact they choose to drink/take drugs or eat unhealthily or engage in risky behaviour, make poor health choices because it’s someone ELSES fault. X blogger is to blame

Proving a causal link between the actions of a specific company and the poor mental health of a particular individual would be near impossible. I don’t see any way at all it could be done.

www.nhs.uk/news/food-and-diet/instagram-ranked-worst-for-mental-health-in-teen-survey/

The NHS site has posted that there is a link.

@PatoPotato

There is also a link to poor parenting too you know

technically you can sue MN too, because posters posting about their MAUI honeymoon is causing distress to the ones who haven't had a holiday in 35 years...

I had MH issues way before social media was a thing, and PND during the afe of social media. The first episode of MH problem was thought to be genetic. Do i blame my parents? No way. When i had PND i compared myself unfavourably to all the people i knew in RL who supposedly had their shit together and coped way better than me with babies/toddlers. I didn't actually use social media very much during that period of my life. Just getting through the day with a baby and toddler was an achievement in itself without looking at my phone or the computer

Btw instagram can be great!
I recently unfollowed all the pretty house (I am not that organised) and pretty bodies (I am fat) profiles and instead I followed illustrators, artists, garden profiles, normal cooking profiles (not "omg look at this qujbstcsko I sourced from that only stall which sells it in Europe for £bazzilion and spent 2 hours arranging it for a pic), nature photography and it's now such a pleasure to go through my feed! Instagram is now actually a realxing place for me😁

Hmm I don't know I feel like something must change in society if we are going to address mental health appropriately. I think there's multiple ways we could go about this, a shorter working week to decrease employee burnout, proper handling of online exploitation of the public's insecurities, and fines for companies that are found complicit. I do personally know that I used to work for a company that hired psychologists to write scripts for employees to follow in order to get the most profit. These scripts were crafted in a way to cause maximum pain for financial gain in a weight loss company.

Mental illness is more complex than that. When my DD was younger she developed anorexia. Social media certainly played a part (then and now) in triggering certain behaviours that are symptoms of the condition, but so did lots of other things, an overheard comment, an unflattering outfit, a bad day at work and much more, but it didn’t cause her illness. She was the only girl in her school year, uni cohort and friendship group to suffer from this condition ( as far as I know). If social media had ‘caused’ the illness then surely many more people in her social circle would have developed it?

If social media had ‘caused’ the illness then surely many more people in her social circle would have developed it?

From a philosophical point of view, who knows if they just haven't been diagnosed yet?

I overheard that some people around the world can choose to undergo euthanasia because of mental illness.

You read incorrect news. The person in question was not euthanised because of mental illness. She ended her life by suicide.

readthis

How would you suggest doing something would help my bipolar???

You write as though using social media and following vloggers were mandatory things

This!

I personally have MH problems with anxiety and low self esteem etc but haven’t had any really bad lows for a few years now. I made many different lifestyle choices - one of which was avoiding social media.

How would you suggest doing something would help my bipolar???

It may not be a cure all for everyone, but it may help decrease the amount for some.

The two cancer causing cases listed as an example. There would have been plenty f cases before them that went unpunished (especially with asbestos).

Took a vert long time too each individual cases. Social Media is far too new to be proved culpable really. Rightly or wrongly.

Plus advertising has always used the same tactic to sell things since it's birth.

I made many different lifestyle choices - one of which was avoiding social media.

I applaud you. I don't think everyone with MH issues are able to do this though. It does take a strong person to make sure they look away imo.