Publication Alert: New study published in Social Science & Medicine

We are excited to share that our study, “This didn’t exist back then”: A Focus Group Study on Adolescents’ Perceptions of Mental Illness in the Context of Family, Peers, and Social Media, has been published in Social Science & Medicine.

In our focus group study with 30 adolescents from the Greater Munich area, we explored how young people experience and talk about mental illness in the context of family, peers, and social media.

Our results revealed four recurring patterns:

• Minimization – mental illness is dismissed as “just a phase” or an attitude problem, especially by parents.

• Bullying – adolescents describe mocking, exclusion, and ridicule, particularly among classmates and on social media.

• Serious Engagement – mental health concerns are recognized and met with emotional or practical support.

• Romanticization – mental illness is portrayed as aesthetic or identity-defining, particularly on social media.

Adolescents’ perceptions of how family, peers, and social media talk about mental illness can shape whether adolescents speak up, withdraw, seek help, or find support. Our findings highlight the importance of supportive communication, mental health literacy, anti-bullying efforts, and social media literacy in adolescents’ everyday lives.