What happens if mental health becomes a justification?

In the past, mental health was not discussed. Asylums existed, and so-called "mad people" were condemned, depending on the time and place of their birth, to a life of forced hospitalization, electroshock therapy, and beatings, if not total abandonment on the streets or in institutions, lobotomies, and much more. A horrific but very recent past, as illustrated by the Basaglias' fight for a different approach to mental illness, and by many artists and poets who, for one reason or another, found themselves confronting this reality, from Allen Ginsberg to Alda Merini.

How do we talk about mental health today?

Today, things have changed, at least on the surface. The conversation around mental health has become more democratic and widespread, thanks to associations, therapists, and professionals who have worked hard to raise awareness, as well as through social media. Who hasn't, at some point, secretly self-diagnosed something while scrolling through Tumblr, Twitter, and TikTok? This broadening of debates about therapy, psychotherapy, mental health, and behavioral disorders has many positive aspects: it has made us more sensitive and open, more mindful of language and behaviors, but it also has many negative sides.

Social networks vs reality

Firstly, it's undeniable that some disorders and conditions are "cool," used to define one's online persona and create viral content, while others are less "cool" and even demonized. These conditions are discussed without nuance, condemning those who suffer from them as bad or manipulative people, leaving them feeling isolated. Furthermore, terms related to mental health are often thrown around without deeper understanding, used as weapons, stripped of meaning, and applied improperly and without proper context. This is known as therapy speak. Lastly, this so-called openness on social media — broad but often very superficial — doesn't align with the reality where right-wing governments are cutting funding for public healthcare, mental health services, and psychological and therapeutic support in general.

The case of Ellen DeGeneres

What happens when this therapy speak is used as a defense, a response to accusations, or a way to justify one's mistakes without fully taking responsibility? We are currently witnessing the case of Ellen DeGeneres, a long-time successful TV host who recently fell from grace following serious accusations of mistreatment and bullying toward her employees. After a period of silence, she spoke out in the Netflix special For your approval, revealing that during her therapy, which she began after these accusations, she discovered she suffers from ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Therapy speak as a response to public scrutiny

We are not here to question the diagnoses Degeneres received or the challenges she has faced, but rather to reflect on her position, intentions, and the impact of her words. With a mix of irony and bitterness, her first-person account of what happened since she – to quote her – "was thrown out of show business" makes it hard not to see an attempt at rehabilitation using these disorders as banners. The connection, even when not explicit, is in the air and lingers, the bait is set. Could Ellen DeGeneres' psychological struggles have caused the abuse suffered by her employees? And if that implication lingers, what does it make us think about all the people in our lives who suffer from the same conditions? We can't ignore that this approach is an extreme consequence of the widespread use of therapy talk on social media, which makes us aware enough to recognize these conditions when mentioned in a show but not knowledgeable enough to understand their real consequences or their exploitation.