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Recent research indicates mental health education in schools can increase anxiety over the long term.

Constantly monitoring for hidden signs of illness encourages healthy people to experience symptoms.

Adopting a diagnostic label can trap individuals in a rigid identity that limits their daily lives.

A year ago, I questioned whether we were overdoing mental health awareness. Since then, the evidence has only strengthened: The answer is yes.

To be clear, conversations about mental health remain vital in the right context. The danger lies in how broadcast and social networks amplify this messaging in ways that frequently cause more harm than good. Furthermore, current research typically evaluates a single campaign in a vacuum; we barely understand the cumulative psychological toll of being bombarded by competing mental health messages across multiple digital channels all day long.

While opening up discussions about mental health was a vital first step in reducing stigma and encouraging people to seek help, high-quality studies now indicate that these short-term benefits are often minimal or non-existent. The long-term effects of blanket awareness campaigns can be actively negative.

Education campaigns and negative outcomes

Recent research from the United Kingdom found that mental health education campaigns with adolescents can produce limited to no positive effects in the short term, and can produce negative outcomes in the long term. A scoping review by Guzman-Holst et al. (2025) identified that school-based group interventions intending to build resilience can lead to negative mental health impacts.

One major trial in the United Kingdom involving 153 schools and over 12,000 students (Deighton et al., 2025) found that a mental health awareness program led to no short-term improvements. More concerningly, it showed long-term negative effects: Students reported higher levels of internalizing symptoms, such as anxiety and withdrawal, nearly a year after the intervention.

Encouraging people to reflect on distress may be inadvertently making people more distressed.

Pathologizing for clicks

If clinical experts struggle to design interventions that don't cause harm, the risk multiplies substantially when the incentives of the digital attention economy are combined with awareness and influence campaigns.

Many awareness-raising efforts now happen via commercial campaigns designed to sell wellness products or services. Mental health terms, language, and approaches can be used as messaging and framed as a necessary tool for self-care. Some advertising campaigns even employ voice........

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