Editorial

On all different kinds of social media platforms, teenagers see other teens discussing their mental illnesses in order to spread awareness. The effort to reduce the stigma around mental illness has proven to be successful, but it has gotten to a point where teenagers self-diagnose themselves with the mental illnesses they see online. There are more than 200 different mental illnesses, and symptoms from one may overlap with another. Teenagers see someone their age struggling with the same thing they are, but that symptom could be an indicator of dozens of different illnesses. The only way to know what condition you have is by seeking a diagnosis from a medical professional. False cases of mental illness are spreading like wildfire, and social media and the internet has fueled this.

Self-diagnosing is dangerous for many reasons, one being the unnecessary panic and stress it could cause an individual. Someone may be seeking a quick and easy answer to any symptoms they are having, wrapped up nicely in an internet article, and see their symptoms in a certain illness. They then may begin to convince themselves that they have this mental illness. Teens take to the internet to relieve themselves of their worries, but what they will find most likely will contribute to their already existing panic. Seeing that there is a chance they may have a severe mental illness is anxiety-inducing and could make their symptoms worse. The internet is not a credible place to gather information, and the only way to treat an individual-specific concern is by going to a doctor.

Having a symptom or two of a mental illness does not at all indicate that you have it. Being sad or getting nervous sometimes doesn’t mean you have depression or anxiety. Having emotions is natural, and part of the human — especially teenage — condition. There is a reason that diagnostic criteria from the DSM-5, which psychologists use to diagnose disorders, says that a diagnosis can only be made if several symptoms are present for an extended period of time. No one should strive to get diagnosed with a disorder just to wear it as a moniker of pride. Mental health illnesses are serious, and many have dangerous symptoms and consequences.

When impressionable teenagers with undeveloped minds see the popularity surrounding mental illness on social media, it is easy for them to self-diagnose themselves. Through different platforms such as Instagram or TikTok, countless teenagers have taken to posting about the mental illnesses they were not properly diagnosed with. Doing this invalidates people with genuine mental illness. The people who should be speaking on experience with mental illnesses should only be the people who have had to endure them.

KAITLYN BARR

By Bee Bielak SECTION EDITOR When there is any hope of a celebrity coming out as LGBTQIA+, it’s a big deal to the queer community. It’s important to see yourself represented in the limelight. Looking at someone who is perhaps a movie star, and also gay, shows that those who stray from the heterosexual “default setting” are just as valuable to society. This want of queer representation can push some to do drastic things for attention. Let’s talk about queerbaiting.

By definition, queerbaiting is the false allusion of non-heterosexual relationships or attraction to catch the LGBTQIA+ community’s eye. Perhaps it’s a movie trailer showing two male presenting people with their eyes closed, lips parted and leaning in. But once actually watching the movie, you realize it was two scenes cut together, and there was no actual homosexual relationship portrayed. The movie will have a heightened rate of LGBTQIA+ attendance because representation deprived people who saw the trailer had hope of seeing themselves depicted on-screen. It’s harmful to tease a struggling community with hope, only to let them down, all for financial gain.

Queerbaiting exists outside the realm of movies and TV, and is a tactic often used by celebrities as well. In June of 2021, Billie Eilish posted a series of photos with her and a group of women, resting her head on the behind of another girl. Eilish’s caption caught the attention of the queer community, with it reading “i love girls”. The sensual photos, paired with these seemingly straightforward words that explicitly state a fascination of women and being posted in the LGBTQIA+ pride month, seemed to be the perfect recipe for Eilish coming out. When she announced that she was not queer, and currently had a boyfriend, the queer community was outraged. After thinking we gained another representative to combat the “norm” and being let down, accusations of queerbaiting flung fast. Eilish had new people paying her attention, but it was under the false idea that she was the queer representation they seek.

No matter where it exists in the media, queerbaiting will always be harmful to the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s unfair to give us hope of seeing people like us integrated into normal society, just to be let down again. Only tease a gay relationship if there is one. Don’t make suggestive posts to get attention. Please, leave the queer community alone.

JUNIOR SA’AD ALRAZZI: “I think I would like to travel to the decade between 20302040, just to see where my future will lead me and make changes in my life based upon that.” TEACHER LISA SPATOLA: “[I would travel] somewhere in the mid 1500s, visiting some time in the Renaissance would be cool, there are some really great artists from those times. It would be cool to see the Sistine Chapel. The clothes were great too, with all those interesting dresses.” SOPHOMORE INAYA GRAHAM: “I would go to the ‘90s because it was honestly the most fun decade ever. The best movies and TV shows, like ‘Clueless’ and ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ came out. And of course, the clothes and hairstyles were iconic. [I] wish I could have been there.” FRESHMAN BEN DRAGICH: “[I would like to travel to] 2040 so I can see what life is like in the near future. I want to see if COVID is finally gone. I also want to see how the Lions are doing by then. The future is so interesting because we know nothing about it yet we can control it.”