The psychiatrization of everyday life and the construction of virtual neuro-identities

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21669/tomo.v44.21851

Keywords:

Social media, Self-diagnosis, Mental health, Identity, Medicalization

Abstract

This article examines the impact of social media on mental health, highlighting how platforms such as Instagram and YouTube contribute to the rise in psychiatric self-diagnosis, especially among young people. This phenomenon has intensified during the Covid-19 pandemic, when information about mental health has spread widely, leading many to seek self-diagnosis and identify with virtual neuroidentities, using expressions such as “I am autistic”, “I have ADHD” or “I have depression”. Depression, autism, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are defined in medical-psychiatric discourse as conditions that significantly affect individuals' lives. Depression is described as a psychiatric illness that alters mood, causing deep sadness, hopelessness, low self-esteem, and disturbances in sleep and appetite (Ministry of Health, 2024a). Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs communication, socialization, and manifests in repetitive behaviors (Ministry of Health, 2024b). ADHD, on the other hand, is defined as a neurobiological disorder of genetic origin, characterized by inattention, restlessness, and impulsivity, which can persist throughout life (Ministry of Health, 2024c). This process reflects a psychiatrization of subjectivity and is deeply connected to the neoliberal logic of transforming identities into commodities. Social media amplifies this movement by offering a space for support, but it also simplifies complex mental health issues, often reducing the understanding of psychological suffering to psychiatric diagnoses and labels.

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Author Biographies

Javier Marzal, Centro Universitario UNICESUSC

PhD in Human Sciences from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (2023). Psychoanalyst and member of Laço Analítico – School of Psychoanalysis. He is conducting postdoctoral research at the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Sciences at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Professor in the Psychology Program at UNICESUSC University Center (2023). Researcher at the Center for Studies in Sociology, Philosophy, and History of Health Sciences (NESFHIS/UFSC). Researcher at the Center for Studies and Research on Professions and Institutions (NEPPI/UFSC). Member of the Ibero-American Network for the History of Psychiatry – RIHP. Holds a postgraduate specialization degree in Psychology and Mental Health from the Metropolitan Faculty of the State of São Paulo (2019). Psychoanalyst. Holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Oriente (2011). Instructor Professor at the University of Oriente, Cuba (2011–2015). Has experience in the fields of Clinical Psychology and Mental Health.

Sandra Caponi, Federal University of Santa Catarina

Full Professor in the Department of Sociology and Political Science at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. She holds a degree in Philosophy from the National University of Rosario (Argentina), a master's degree in Logic and Philosophy of Science from UNICAMP, a PhD in Logic and Philosophy of Science from UNICAMP, and completed her first postdoctoral studies at the University of Picardie (France) in 2000, as well as a senior postdoctoral study at EHESS (Paris, France) in 2011. She is currently the coordinator of the Capes-Cofecub Project, in partnership with Paris VIII, called "The dissemination of expert knowledge in the field of childhood" and vice-president of the Brazilian Society of Bioethics - Santa Catarina Region (SBB-SC). She is an ad hoc consultant for several scientific publications. In 2017, she completed a six-month senior internship at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina (UBA) and six months at the Université Paris Diderot, France (Paris VII). She holds a research productivity scholarship from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, level 1D. She has worked as a visiting professor at EHESS (Paris, France), at the College de France (Paris), at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Medellín), and at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario (Argentina). Her work focuses on the epistemology and history of psychiatry, medicine, and bioethics. She is a permanent professor of the Interdisciplinary Doctorate in Human Sciences at UFSC and of the Graduate Program in Political Sociology at the same institution. She coordinates the research group registered with CNPq, "Sociology, Philosophy, and History of Health Sciences". She has supervised and defended several doctoral theses and master's dissertations. In 2013, the book "Loucos e Degenerados: uma genealogia da psiquiatria amplada" was a finalist for the 55th Jabuti Award in the area of ​​Psychology and Psychoanalysis. She was awarded a Maria Zambraano Grant from the European Union to develop research activities at MARC/Dasfits at Rovira and Virgili University. Spain. PROPESQ AWARD- UFSC 2023 Women in Science 3rd Edition. Senior Category (Humanities Knowledge Area).

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Published

2025-01-03

How to Cite

Marzal, J., & Caponi, S. (2025). The psychiatrization of everyday life and the construction of virtual neuro-identities. TOMO Review, 44, e21851. https://doi.org/10.21669/tomo.v44.21851

Issue

Vol. 44 (2025): TOMO Journal (Rolling Pass)

Section

SI: Digital Tecnologies and well-being: the perspective of the Sociology of Markets

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Copyright (c) 2025 Javier Marzal, Sandra Caponi

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