Tbh: It’s Giving… Tik Tok Therapy Speak

Artwork By: Sarah Johnston

Have you noticed that anytime you look at social media these days, no matter what the platform is or the trend, there are always mentions of “wellness”. It seems like, suddenly, everyone everywhere is a mental health expert, can self-diagnose and are also equipped to diagnose others, but have no genuine credentials to back it up. It’s one thing to feel safe online, find community, and then seek professional help. It’s another to use ChatGPT as your therapist and claim you have ADHD or depression based on a Tik Tok or Instagram reel. 

What is “therapy-speak”?

Essentially, this surge of online wellness talk has created its own vocabulary, where clinical language is borrowed, rebranded, and repeated until it feels like common knowledge. The Guardian dubs this particular phenomenon as the rise of “therapy-speak”, which is: 

“a new, seemingly sophisticated language that has permeated everyday life. Words like toxic, triggered, and boundaries are now used so casually that they risk becoming clichés, detached from the context that gave them meaning in therapy” (Morgan, 2023). 

The Positivies

Now, I’m not saying all mentions of mental health in social media are bad, because there are many benefits that have come over the years with the normalization of mental health support being needed and taken seriously. Mental health, once buried in stigma, is now more visible and approachable through social media. Platforms have opened doors to advocacy, giving young people language to speak openly about anxiety, grief, and burnout. They build community, where hashtags and comments remind us we’re not alone. They spread knowledge, with bite-sized explainers that demystify therapy and coping tools. And they expand access, offering free guidance or resources for those who can’t afford therapy. Used responsibly, therapy-speak fosters solidarity and helps break long-standing silence.

The Negativies

However, social media thrives on the oversimplification of complex issues and the human mind is one of the most complex of all. Life is nuanced, so advice can’t always be boiled down to “cut them off” or “protect your peace”. That sells clarity, but it erases the messy work of repair, accountability, and growth. As Krysten Stein notes in her study of TherapyTok, the algorithm rewards content that is simplified, sensationalized, and entertaining, even when that means sacrificing depth and credibility. The result is catchy “theratainment” that risks misleading rather than healing.

Performative Wellness

Moreover, it is more about appearing “healed” online, but not actually doing the work. It takes 2 seconds to repost some cringey quote like, “I know there is love in the world, because I am full of it”... yeah, more like full of shit. 

But, real change and growth in mental health isn’t about aesthetic affirmations or performative captions; it’s about the uncomfortable, slow process of accountability, therapy, reflection, and actually showing up differently for yourself AND OTHERS.

I’ve found that the truly empathetic and kind, are often silently resilient. They don’t repost their “goodness” or show-boat their progress to “inspire others”. 

On the other end of the spectrum are some of the loudest people preaching boundaries and self-care as if they’re universal truths, when really they’re just excuses. 

They claim that they are retiring from their old ways of “people-pleasing”, yet no one was ever pleased. Ever. They claim that they are existing and being without being drained from others, yet there was never a moment when they thought about anyone else. 

They haven’t responded to a text in over 2 weeks, or randomly ghosted you and then came back in your life? Oh, that’s their bad. They just woke up. 

They last-minute cancel a plan or consistently are unavailable? Oh, sorry… that’s because they needed to eat. 

You need a quick favor or a listening ear from a friend? Yeah, they are too busy reposting a reel on how to spot a narcissist, but they will be the first to let you know if they need something. 

These people infuriate me. They constantly weaponize “Tik Tok Therapy Speech” in order to make themselves feel better about reducing others to their uses. Of course, there are times that you need to be selfish and not compromise on your own wants and needs in order to put someone else first. But, the thing is that constant justification or excuse doesn’t mean much. 

Other people are not a means to an end, and we need to stop normalizing the objectification of people as “protecting your peace” and promoting “healthy lifestyles”. I don’t think this is healthy, I think it actually excuses a lot of people’s own narcissism and victim complex. There are times when you catch yourselves in patterns and cycles, and you need to take ownership of your life and focus on yourself. There are other times though, when you think pushing everyone that cares or wants to be in your life is okay just because it allows you to stay deluded on how that is the healthy thing. It is not. 

People have intrinsic value, and life is about making connections, relationships, and living as well. It is not always about the constant corporate grind or trying to network and have superficial connections to use that other person. 

Where Do We Go From Here?

That is what makes the prevalence of TikTok “therapy-speak” so harmful: it commodifies care, feeds ego, and reframes healing as content. 

It is a way to absolve yourself of responsibility while still demanding everyone clap for your “growth.” 

Social media can’t be therapy. At best, it’s a gateway, it gives you language, it points you toward community, it helps you start. But real healing isn’t a performance for algorithms; it’s accountability, connection, and the messy, unglamorous work of being there for yourself and for others.

xoxo, 

Khushi Kumari

Sources:

Stein, Krysten. “And How Does That Make You Feel?: Unpacking the Phenomenon of TikTok.” PhD diss., University of Illinois at Chicago, 2024.