Singapore is warning of more TikTok trolls posing as doctors from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and posting nuisance comments on videos to make fun of mental health issues.
The users, who have nicknames such as "Doctor Daniel Zhang of IMH" have spent the last few months leaving comments on videos that usually say something like "See me in my office" or "Remember to take your prescribed medication."
TikTok Trolls Impersonate IMH Doctors
The online trolls' usual targets are videos of TikTok creators dancing in public or doing other silly and unusual things. While the comments are meant to be tongue-in-cheek, experts and several other users argued that the comments could trivialize mental health issues.
One TikTok user, Wabikaeru, who has consulted a psychiatrist for a decade about his anxiety disorder, found the trend silly and funny when he first came across roughly four months ago. However, the content creator, who wanted to be identified only by his TikTok handle, was also concerned that the trend was becoming increasingly common, per the Straits Times.
In a statement, he said that day in and day out, the people who log on to TikTok are reminded that going to IMH to see a doctor should be a matter of shame because they will become the target of other people's jokes.
Wabikaeru lost his grandmother to suicide, and he said that people do not make fun of patients seeking help for other issues. He wondered why that is and why people with mental health issues are the subjects of daily jokes.
A spokesperson for the IMH added that the hospital was also aware of the trend on TikTok. They noted that the accounts were disrespectful to their doctors. However, they argued that they were more concerned about the resulting discussions on these accounts that trivialize the challenges faced by people with mental health issues.
Trivializing Mental Health Issues
Cheryl Cheng, a 25-year-old psychology research assistant at a University in Singapore, signed up for a TikTok account and used it to point out that the trolls' comments could perpetuate the stigma on people who need to seek help for their mental health conditions at the IMH, according to Today Online.
Some fake TikTok accounts also had names that could be considered offensive and used vulgar words. One account even used an image of a neurosurgeon based in India and created a video where he claimed to be a real doctor.
After Cheng put up a video addressing her concerns regarding the accounts, some impersonators defended their actions and jokingly said they would "discuss this with their colleagues."
The situation also comes as employees in Asia are under "significant mental health strain," with 82% having a moderate to high risk of developing mental health issues. This was revealed by a new report from insurance broker Aon and TELUS Health, which found that 35% of workers in Asia have a high mental health risk profile, and 47% have a moderate risk, said CNBC.
