Talking about mental health on LinkedIn or social media – is it a yes or a no? Ultimately it’s a personal choice and, as with most things, there are pros and cons. What does research say?

A recent study (link here) of job applicants showed that writing about their experiences of anxiety and depression on LinkedIn negatively affected the evaluator’s impression of their work personality traits – that they had reduced emotional stability and conscientiousness but no effect on their work performance ability. It also found that then discussing the mental health experiences with the job applicants enhanced their opinion of job emotional stability, but not conscientiousness.

However, there are benefits to discussing your mental health:

• You can connect with others – share experiences and improve a sense of community, offer support and encouragement.
• You can raise awareness and reduce stigma by openly discussing mental health and dispelling the myths around mental health.

Side note – people are often surprised when I say I suffer with depression as I’m so ‘bubbly’ and seem so ‘together’. That’s why I talk about it. You don’t always know who is suffering and also, having depression that I manage doesn’t affect my professional ability. In fact it enhances it in my opinion.

• You can reduce any shame you may feel about mental health – by sharing your story, you can feel empowered and embrace personal growth.
• You can help others feel that it is ok to talk about their mental health or seek help.

Before you decide to talk about your mental health on LinkedIn/social media consider the following:

• Who will see your post? Are you comfortable with them knowing this information about you?
• What is your motivation? Are you sharing your story to raise awareness, connect with others, or for another reason?
• Set boundaries; Decide how much information you want to share and who you want to share it with. You can use privacy settings and restrict who can see your posts.
• Consider the future: will this negatively impact any future applications or career steps.
• Have a support system in place; Make sure you have people you can talk to if you encounter negative reactions or if disclosing your mental health online triggers you.

I talk about mine to empower others and challenge the narrative. However, I am self-employed and own my own business so the boss isn’t likely to mind. If potential clients think less of me because of it, that’s ok. My purpose is to help people with their mental health and wellbeing. I won’t hide away from discussing it.