A TikToker’s video purporting to show them in a hospital’s psych ward after “oversharing” with a therapist sparked a discussion about therapy and being institutionalized due to mental health concerns.
Posted by Joe Luyando(@cosmiccoverall), the video shows him wearing a hospital gown and socks, with a text overlay reading: “accidentally overshared with my therapist and ended up here.” It was posted with the tags #anxiety and #mentalhealth. The seven-second video has been viewed more than 4.1 million times.
@cosmicoverall okay last one I swear 😭😭#mentalhealth #anxiety #insane #fyp #cheetosreaperreactions ♬ original sound – ESOSA||CONTENT CREATOR
Luyando told the Daily Dot via a Zoom call that the video’s premise—that he was admitted to the a hospital after saying too much to his therapist—is actually a joke. He said he was admitted voluntarily after a series of events lead to an overwhelming level of anxiety that impacted his daily life.
Luyando said he was at his mother’s home when he started to feel anxious, and by the time he made it to his own apartment, it became more serious.
“I get home and my roommate’s there, and I just like have a full breakdown, crying uncontrollably,” Luyando said. “It came out of nowhere. In that in that moment, I realized what I went through was traumatic. This is just the result of weeks of anxiety coming to kind of a head. So my roommate’s like, ‘Do you want me to take you to the hospital?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, absolutely, please,’ because I just had this obviously unrealistic idea that I was just going to die.”
Regarding some concern from commenters that the video was illegitimate because he was able to keep his phone, Luyando said he was not placed in the psychiatric ward of the hospital when he arrived, as he had COVID. He said he was able to quarantine in a separate hospital room and did not have his phone taken until the second day of his stay there. It was returned to him at the end of his stay so that he could contact his family, he added.
According to the Huff Post, there are certain instances in which a therapist is required by their state licensing board to report concerns about clients, or they risk losing their license, being fined, or any other consequences. These include when a client becomes a risk to themselves and others.
Some commenters shared that their fear of being institutionalized previously caused them to stop seeing their therapist or other mental health professionals.
“Reason i stopped going to therapy,” one commenter wrote.
“Exactly why I don’t do therapy anymore,” another commenter wrote. “Can’t be completely honest.”
“Went through this!” a commenter wrote. “I sought for help when I was pregnant. Got no help just social services involved. Worst time of my life! So sad!”
Luyando said he hoped that his video did not instill a new fear in viewers of sharing their thoughts with mental health professionals.
“I really just want to make it clear that I am encouraging people to seek help when they need it and not let my or anyone else’s experience scare them into not seeking help,” Luyando said. “That may not look like an inpatient facility, maybe it just looks like getting regulated on some medication that you need, or simply just going to a therapist and talking your issues out. Not everyone’s experience is going to be the same, but my experience is not something that is great for everyone.”
Other commenters wrote from the point of view of a mental health professional.
“If you are a danger to yourself and or others we have to ensure that you are safe,” one commenter wrote. “People are looking at it as a negative but it is not.”
“A seasoned therapist will know when to do it; when we really think someone is in (immediate) danger,” another commenter wrote. “It’s never to hurt the client but to protect them.”
Luyando said the response he received made him feel less alone and appreciate the experience he had while at the hospital.
“Seeing all the comments and reading about people’s experiences with their therapist and being in mental facilities actually made me appreciate my experience more, because a lot of people in the comments were saying, ‘Oh, my God, I went to such a horrible hospital, I didn’t get help.’ It made me more grateful for the help that I received. I’m lucky enough to live in a city with really great hospitals really great mental health care, but not all are so lucky. So I definitely learned to value my experience more,” he said.
Following his hospital stay, Luyando said he has moved out of his apartment to be closer to his family and is prioritizing his mental health.
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