YouTube and psychopathology: A literature review

YouTube is the most popular video-sharing website on the Internet, and it has become one of the world’s most popular social media, attracting over one billion users every month. Social media provides many advantages in delivering knowledge, such as low cost, convenience, and global outreach. In terms of public health, YouTube can be used to provide health campaigns to the broader public. This literature review aims to analyze the way people perceive psychopathologies shown in YouTube videos [in order] to promote a healthy and fair divulgation of these sensitive topics. The study opens with an introduction regarding YouTube, its usage, and [its] users; an analysis of academic papers reporting various Syn-dromes and mental illnesses follows; finally, some future directions regarding the appropriate usage of YouTube from professionals and parents will be proposed, to prevent the compulsive usage of this social network.