‘Sadfishing’ or Mental Health Crisis?

Elizabeth Delaney Headlines Contributor
Updated Jul 03, 2024

Let's face it- today’s world makes it difficult to be a parent. Parents are navigating challenges that the parents only one generation ago rarely had to encounter. Social media is something of a double-edged sword: it can be a “best of reel” that boasts about fun family vacations, successes, and the joy of purchasing a much coveted new vehicle or house, or it can go to the complete opposite end of the spectrum and be used as a platform that’s part of the grieving process of losing a loved one or some other adverse dramatic event.

What Is Sadfishing?

The coinage sadfishing was created by journalist Rebecca Reid in 2019 when it was discovered that Kendall Jenner’s claim about “debilitating” acne was nothing more than a scheme to benefit her partnership with Proactive, according to Independent.

However, the new slang word resonated with many people, and a significant increase in social media posts that are sad and emotionally charged with dramatic content began to show up. Some people are just doing it to get attention. For others, it can also be a cry for help. The challenge is determining the motive behind the post.

Sadfishing Can Be a Warning

Labeling something as sadfishing can be an offshoot of cancel culture when the responses to an emotionally charged post invalidate the struggle of the person who created the post. Claiming that a post is sadfishing can also be a form of “cyberbullying” or “victim-blaming,” according to Psychology Today.

Don Grant, PhD, national adviser for Healthy Device Management of Newport Healthcare in Los Angeles, California, said there’s no way to know for certain from just one or two social media posts, but if such posts are “chronic,” then there could be a problem, according to Fox News.

Grant said he has seen some posts during the course of his work that suggest there may be a serious issue.

“We’ve seen [sadfishing posts] that we’ve actually had to make calls and do welfare checks [about]. Those of us who know the person or their colleague - we do a welfare check on that because it’s so concerning,” he said.

Grant went on to note that sadfishing isn’t exclusive to any one age group or platform. However, the platform a person chooses to use can have an impact on the intensity of their post.

“...If you just see a post and it’s a phrase or two with pictures, or it’s someone saying they’re sad... that’s hard enough. But when you have a video-based social media platform, you can see them, you can hear the cadence of the [person’s] voice. It’s very dramatic. That’s more impacting,” he said.

The pattern with which emotionally charged posts appear is often a hint regarding the motive of the person making the posts and where the line is between sadfishing and something more serious.

What to Do If Sadfishing Seems Serious

These posts can be a warning if it’s frequent and grows in intensity. Phrases such as, “I just can’t take it anymore,” “I’m at my breaking point,” “No one ever really understands,” “I just feel so alone,” or “I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to be around” are possible signals that someone is struggling with hopelessness, anxiety, and perhaps suicidal thoughts, according to Focus on the Family.

Parents are like the first responders in a potential healthcare crisis when their kids seem to be posting an increasing amount of emotional content. Their posts need to be taken seriously, and one of the most important responses is to be intentional about being more available for them and consider asking some hard questions.

Focus on the Family suggests that a parent could tell their child, “It seems like you’ve been posting some hard stuff on your Instagram account lately. Do you want to talk about it?”

Even if the child says they don’t want to discuss it when the question is first asked, the fact that it’s been asked helps the child to know they aren’t alone in their struggle, and they may choose to discuss it at a later time.

Focus on the Family also suggests that what children truly want is love, acceptance, and someone who is willing to be an active listener.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741.

Elizabeth Delaney has been a freelance content writer for over 20 years and has enjoyed having her prose published in both the non-fiction and fiction markets. She has written various types of content, including Christian articles, healthy lifestyle, blog posts, business topics, news articles, product descriptions, and some fiction. She is also a singer-songwriter-musician. When she is not busy with writing or music, she enjoys spending time with friends or family and doing fun social activities such as hiking, swing dancing, concerts, and other activities.