YouTube is the new television. Today, teens exchange the small screen for an even smaller one and watch hundreds of videos on the popular media platform. Videos on any topic can be found on the website. #Triggered talked with British filmmaker Arthur Cauty, who posted a short documentary about mental health on the website. He argues, “Youtube is a way to give everyone a voice, but that can be dangerous as well.”
Youtube offers a lot of videos about mental health, channel: doddleoddle
Last year, Arthur Cauty (33) from Bristol, England, posted a short documentary on his Youtube channel called Faces of Mental Health. In the video we hear the stories of Bristolian students who have had to deal with mental illness.
Arthur says, “The idea for the film came to me after losing someone to suicide. I was also reading about the suicides of university students in Bristol, which seemed to be happening alarmingly regularly. I wanted to reach out to students and offer them a space to share their stories and experiences regarding mental health. I wondered what support, if any, was available to them, and I wanted to shed a little light on a problem that didn’t seem to be getting the attention it deserved.”
“The concept of the documentary was to offer a raw and honest conversational piece. I didn’t want to fill it with hyperbole or sensationalism like you often see in the press, or to edit it with needless cutaways or ominous music. It’s literally just these students sitting down and talking, with the aim of encouraging others to open up,” Arthur explains.
Closer to the audience
“I wanted the film to be as thoughtful and conscientious as possible, which I think we did, but getting that feedback from others via Youtube was certainly a useful part of the platform.”
The feedback Arthur received via the comment section was very positive. The documentary even won a couple of awards and got picked up by the BBC: “The most rewarding thing for me is the messages I've received from people who have found the documentary useful on a personal level.”
Arthur Cauty, the creator of Faces of Mental Health: © DC7 Films - photograph by Kelly-Anne
“There’s a danger in being free to post videos that could harm or influence people negatively.”
Arthur has a love-hate relationship with Youtube as it’s great for reaching an audience, but it has some negative aspects as well: “Youtube is very convenient. It’s a good way to reach people and it’s easier than ever before to find an audience for your film. It gives everyone a voice. But there’s also a lot of cat footage, unboxings, and reaction videos to sift through.”
Other than the time the viewers have to spend scrolling through these kinds of videos, Arthur also thinks there's a danger in Youtubers being able to post whatever they want: “There’s been some horrendous stuff such as extremist or terrorist propaganda pop up on Youtube, but on a smaller scale, it’s easy to post opinionated or poorly considered stuff without giving thought to how it could affect a viewer. I guess the difficult thing is keeping that freedom there for people, whilst also regulating the thousands of hours of stuff uploaded each day.”
Famous Youtuber Logan Paul posted a very poorly considered, and now-deleted, video where he finds the body of a Japanese suicide victim for millions of his, mostly 7-to-14-year old, followers to watch.
Sensitive approach
Arthur explains that the hardest part wasn’t the filming: “The bit that was the hardest was the edit and trying to do justice to their stories in a cohesive and sensitive way. I’d say mental illness is often portrayed in a way which sadly only enforces stigma,” Arthur continues. “As a filmmaker, I understand that it can be hard to find the balance between story and sincerity, but I also understand that we also have a responsibility to depict serious topics such as mental illness in a sensitive way. A lot of what we know about the world comes from the movies and TV we watch, so it’s hardly surprising that mental health is still so stigmatised.”
Arthur made sure to take the viewers’ health into account: “We included helplines for people in need of a conversation. If someone who felt that way just happened to scroll down in the description, it’s right there for them to click. Especially considering that we were working with students, and the high level of student suicides, it would seem like an oversight not to.”
Overall, YouTube can have its negative sides, but Arthur remains fond of the platform: “Youtube offers a place for anyone to have a voice, so some Youtube content ends up echoing a lot of the unrealistic or irresponsible depictions of mental health that occur in film and media. Luckily, many YouTubers try to combat that stigma.”
Here's a list of YouTubers we love that try to break the stigma around mental illness:
Polish YouTuber Katarzyna Napiorkowska (31) tries to educate her viewers while simultaneously creating aesthetically pleasing short films that describe different kinds of mental illnesses like depression and social anxiety.
British filmmaker Bertie (22) makes fun conversational videos about his thoughts and experiences as well as short films. In this video, Bertie sits in different locations building a Marvel lego set while talking about childhood toys and the deterioration of his sense of self.
3. Kati Morton
If you like more educational and informative videos, this YouTuber has got you covered. Kati (36) is an American licensed marriage and family therapist who makes explainer videos about all kinds of mental illnesses, including ones you may never have heard of like Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder.
4. dodie
British singer and YouTuber dodie (24) has always been very open about her mental health. She suffers from depression, anxiety and depersonalisation, an illness where you feel detached from yourself and where your thoughts don't seem like they're your own. She also made a video with Kati Morton in which Kati explains depersonalisation to her as it's still a relatively unknown condition.
5. TrichJournal
For 14 years, British YouTuber Beckie Jane Brown (27) created vlogs about her experiences dealing with depression and Trichotillomania, also called hair-pulling-disorder. This a mental disorder that involves irresistible urges to pull out body hair. Beckie has now stopped posting on TrichJournal and only makes videos on her main channel where she explores topics like books and thrifting. However, her emotional and difficult journey is still publically accessible on the platform.
If you ever think about suicide or self-harm, and are in need of a conversation, then you can always contact the Suicide Hotline on the number 1813 or www.zelfmoord1813.be for Belgium. For international helplines, please click this link.
Text and image: © Femke Lippens