REPRESENTATION OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ON PAKISTANI SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Abstract

This study critically investigates the construction of mental health and mental health problems on Pakistani social media under the umbrella of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Social media may be considered an influential platform for understanding, perceiving, and disseminating mental health discourse due to the currently prevalent censure and sociocultural environment regarding mental health among Pakistani society. The CDA model has been applied in this research to examine user-generated information, arguments, and definitions on social media platforms such as Reddit, X(Twitter), and Instagram to determine the linguistic construction and confrontations that build and define the public image of mental health. The findings indicate that while some internet websites discuss stigma and exclusion, others promote activism and sensitivity. This research contributes to a more complex understanding of how online media supports and challenges mainstream narratives about mental health in Pakistan, simultaneously by investigating these representations. The study holds significant implications for public opinion, policy formation, and understanding of mental health in the Pakistani sociocultural scenario.