TikTok Users Posing as IMH Doctors to Make Fun of Mental Health Issues Spark Concerns Among Experts

TikTok users pretending to be doctors from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) are increasing. These users post nuisance comments on the video-sharing platform, sparking concerns in the medical community.

Growing Trend on TikTok Starts to Spread Concerns Among Experts

According to The Straits Times, online trolls attached the IMH to their usernames. An example of this is Doctor Daniel Zhang of IMH.

Recently, that particular TikTok user has been spotted leaving comments on videos, saying this video creator ought to see a mental health specialist at the IMH or "remember to take your prescribed medication" and other medical-related content.

So far, the targets of this movement are TikTok creators who dance in public or even do silly things, Today Online reported.

According to The Straits Times, although it was designed to be a sort of "tongue-in-cheek," experts have expressed concerns regarding the harmful effects of these comments, saying they worsen the stigma for people coping with mental health conditions.

TikTok User Shares the Damage Caused by Fake Troll Accounts Impersonating IMH Professionals

As highlighted in the report, this trend of instructing someone to go to the IMH to see a mental health specialist is shameful because the person might end up as the "butt of other people's jokes."

For example, Wabikaeru, a TikTok user, consulted a psychiatrist for 10 years regarding his anxiety disorder and recently stumbled into the trend. The content creator then expressed concerns about how common this trend has become.

Wabikaeru reportedly lost a close family member, his grandmother, to suicide. In a statement to The Straits Times, he shared how people should not make fun of someone who is getting the help and treatment they need for their mental health.

Accounts Were Described as Disrespectful to Actual Doctors While Also Posing Grave Concerns

The creator then said that those with mental health issues should not be the subject of these kinds of jokes. An IMH spokesperson also expressed concerns after saying they knew about the trend.

According to Head Topics, the IMH spokesperson described how the TikTok accounts were disrespectful to actual doctors but noted that they were more concerned "about the resulting discussions on these accounts that trivialize the challenges of persons living with mental health issues."

Certain TikTok Accounts Used Fake Images, Including One Using Kim Jong Un's Photo

It was also revealed that the troll accounts would use stock images of doctors or public figures like North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as their profile photos.

Many of the accounts, which used usernames that display vulgar phrases in Hokkien or make reference to secret societies, made comments telling video creators to visit IMH for a "medical review," a "voice appointment," or a "comprehensive urine test."

"When funny things are repeatedly framed in terms of mental illnesses, it is a matter of time before people begin to take mental illnesses less seriously," Nanyang Technological University psychology professor Albert Lee told The Straits Times. He added that this would make individuals less willing to seek professional help if they need it.