Depression memes are an internet staple. Often utilizing dark humor, or gallows humor, memes such as the James Franco “First Time?” meme are a way that many people cope with negative emotions or depression.
These memes are a way to commiserate with other people who are in the same boat, make light of an otherwise negative situation, and not feel alone in your emotions.
According to the World Health Organization, roughly 5% of the global adult population has some form of depression, and it is 50% more common among women than men. They also mention that “Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in 15–29-year-olds.”
Are depression memes healthy coping mechanisms?
There have been many studies done over the years testing whether depression memes are healthy for people’s mental health, such as a 2003 article by Wayne Maxwell or Atakan M Akil et al. in their 2022 article in Frontiers in Psychology.
Though inconclusive, a paper written by Umair Akram & Jennifer Drabble in Nature found that “while several psychiatrists and media outlets perceive internet memes related to mental health difficulties to be associated with adverse consequences, the empirical evidence fails to support this notion.”
They go on to say that “most psychiatrically vulnerable individuals report positive experiences when engaging with such memes. More specifically, they are perceived to facilitate a humorous take on a negative experience and situation, and the perception of peer-support through social bonds with others experiencing similar symptoms.”
An article by Kathryn J Gardner et al. in the journal HUMOR even states in the title, “Humor styles influence the perception of depression-related internet memes in depression.”
Depression memes hit a peak in popularity in November 2019 according to Google Trends, and have been in a decline since then.
Here are 45 of the funniest depression memes on the internet
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For more information about suicide prevention or to speak with someone confidentially, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (U.S.) or Samaritans (U.K.).
If you need to speak to counselors with experience dealing with transgender issues, contact Trans Lifeline at (877) 565-8860 (U.S.) or (877) 330-6366 (Canada).
If you are a teen dealing with depression or other mental health issues, see PBS.org for a list of resources and organizations that can help you. If you are an adult, see Mental Health Resources.
