Nonmedical TikTok creators outperform doctors in engagement on SSRI videos

An analysis of TikTok videos on SSRIs showed that medical professionals generally maintained a neutral tone in those videos, while nonmedical professionals were more likely to adopt a positive tone. Videos by nonmedical professionals tended to have more views, likes, and comments. The paper was published in JMIR Mental Health.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are a class of antidepressant medications that increase serotonin availability in the brain. They are commonly prescribed for depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive–compulsive disorder, and PTSD. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood, sleep, appetite, and various other physiological and emotional processes in the body.

SSRIs work by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin into neurons, allowing more of it to remain active in synapses. Because they are relatively safe to use, SSRIs are considered first-line treatments for many mood and anxiety conditions. The therapeutic effects typically appear after several weeks, even though serotonin levels change rapidly.

Side effects can include nausea, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, and emotional blunting, though many people tolerate them well. SSRIs generally have fewer cardiovascular and anticholinergic side effects than older antidepressants. Common anticholinergic side effects include dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, urinary retention, rapid heartbeat, confusion, and difficulty sweating.

Study author Brittany Quinn and her colleagues wanted to examine the content of TikTok videos on SSRIs. They hypothesized that these videos would predominantly emphasize negative experiences and that videos by nonmedical professionals would attract higher engagement.

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These authors analyzed 99 TikTok videos collected on December 8, 2024. They used a web scraper to collect engagement metrics for the videos and manually recorded the number of views. Study authors initially collected 209 videos but excluded some because they did not fit their requirements. Additionally, 80 videos were excluded because study authors decided they did not need more than 99 videos.

Three researchers evaluated the content and tone of these videos. They also classified the creators of these videos as “medical professionals” or “nonmedical professionals” based on the credentials they provided.

The tone of the video was categorized as positive, negative, ambiguous, or neutral based both on the overall video and on the content. The overall videos were classified as positive if they exuded an uplifting, cheerful, and enthusiastic vibe. Negative videos were those creating a sense of discomfort, sadness, or distress. Ambiguous videos were those blending elements of positivity and negativity without clearly conveying a single emotion. Finally, neutral videos were those that did not include elements of positivity or negativity.

Looking at content, positive videos were those mentioning positive side effects, negative videos mentioned negative side effects, while ambiguous videos mentioned both positive and negative symptoms. Neutral videos did not mention either positive or negative symptoms or experiences.

Results showed that 52 of the 99 analyzed videos were created by nonmedical professionals, while the remaining 47 were created by medical professionals. Physicians were creators of 25 videos, 5 were created by pharmacists, 4 by neuroscientists, and nurse practitioners created 3 videos. 35 videos mentioned a specific SSRI, while the remaining did not.

Forty-six videos conveyed a positive tone, but only 16 videos presented content that was objectively positive. Fourteen videos had an overtly negative tone, while 42 videos had content that was objectively negative.

Nonmedical professionals created significantly more videos with a positive tone compared to medical professionals. Videos created by nonmedical professionals had significantly higher numbers of overall views, likes, and comments. However, there were no differences in the number of shares of videos created by medical and nonmedical professionals.

“Results showed that while both creator groups focused on negative SSRI side effects and experiences (content tone), the way they presented this information (video tone) differed. Medical professionals generally maintained a neutral video tone, whereas nonmedical professionals were more likely to adopt a positive video tone. This may explain why nonmedical professionals’ videos had significantly more cumulative views, likes, and comments than medical professionals’ videos,” study authors concluded.

The study sheds light on the characteristics of TikTok videos. However, it should be noted that the study was based on an analysis of a selected sample of 99 videos all taken from TikTok on the same day. Studies using different samples of videos might report different results.

The paper, “Dissemination of Information on Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors on TikTok: Analytical Mixed Methods Study of Creator Types, Content Tone, and User Engagement,” was authored by Brittany Quinn, Lindsey Nichols, Jennifer Frazee, Mark Payton, and Rachel M A Linger.