Are Problem-Focused Self-Help Books Perpetuating The Mental Health & Stress Crisis?

I stumbled upon research citing that consumers of problem-focused self-help books tend to be more sensitive to stress and show higher depressive symptomatology.

Granted, the sample size was small. And you could argue… duh; obviously those who consume these books are more susceptible to stress; they’re consuming them because they’re stressed, dummy!

However, I stand firmly in my belief that too much self-help can — and does — cause significantly more harm, with one of my major arguments — also mentioned in the study — being that it’s not personalised and paints everybody with the same brush.

All that’s before we even touch on the self-help social media force feeds you, day in, day out, with so many “coaches” and “healers” and “influencers” clinging to buzz words, offering advice on topics they‘ve never even cared to read a book about.

For the majority, innocently seeking answers to life’s biggest problems through constant scrolling of YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, as well as reading books and listening to podcasts, it is likely that this behaviour is intensifying stress and deteriorating mental health — the exact opposite of the desired outcome.