Content, Engagement, and Information Quality of Borderline Personality Disorder Videos on TikTok: Mixed Methods Analysis.
7 affiliations
- 1Département de psychiatrie et d'addictologie, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal, 2900 Bd Édouard-Montpetit, Montréal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada, 1 (514) 343-6111.
- 2Département de psychiatrie, Programme des troubles relationnels et de la personnalité, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
- 3Département de psychiatrie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montréal, QC, Canada.
- 4Département de psychiatrie, Service de psychiatrie légale, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
- 5Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
- 6Département de psychiatrie, Institut national de psychiatrie légale Philippe-Pinel, Montréal, QC, Canada.
- 7Centre de recherche en pédagogie de la santé, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Abstract
Background
TikTok has become a major source of mental health information, yet concerns persist regarding the quality and reliability of psychiatric content disseminated on the platform. While misinformation has been documented for several mental disorders, no study has specifically examined how borderline personality disorder (BPD) is portrayed on TikTok.Objective
This study aims to characterize TikTok content related to BPD by describing its thematic content, engagement patterns, presenter characteristics, and indicators of information quality using a mixed methods secondary analysis.Methods
This mixed methods observational study performed a secondary analysis of a previously established dataset of publicly available TikTok videos related to mental health. A total of 207 videos addressing BPD or BPD-like traits were included. Quantitative analyses summarized video characteristics, engagement metrics, presenter backgrounds, content type, intent, and authenticity indicators using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's methodology to identify recurrent narratives related to BPD.Results
Among the 207 included videos, 185 (89.4%) were in English and 199 (96.1%) targeted the general public. Most creators (n=124, 59.9%) did not disclose professional credentials, whereas psychiatrists (n=18, 8.7%) and psychologists (n=16, 7.7%) represented the largest identified professional groups. Seven overarching themes were identified: understanding personality disorders, treatment and management, interpersonal relationships, myths and misconceptions, co-occurring disorders, personal experiences, and diagnosis and classification. Videos focused on personal experiences generated the highest audience engagement (mean weighted likes 2389, SD 6529; favorites 333, SD 707; shares 117, SD 287), whereas treatment-focused videos demonstrated substantially lower engagement (mean weighted likes 222, SD 360; favorites 54, SD 77; shares 19, SD 40). Opinion-based or mixed-content formats predominated across most themes. Reference-based information remained limited, ranging from 0% to 33.3% depending on thematic category, while misinformation was observed across multiple themes, particularly understanding personality disorders (20/81, 24.7%) and diagnosis and classification (14/48, 29.2%). Experiential and relational narratives were substantially more prominent and engaging than evidence-based psychoeducational content.Conclusions
TikTok discourse surrounding BPD is dominated by experiential narratives that foster engagement but frequently rely on opinion-based rather than evidence-based information. Although many videos may provide validation and reduce stigma, the limited use of references and the persistence of misinformation highlight the need for the greater involvement of mental health professionals in producing accessible, accurate, and engaging digital content. To our knowledge, these findings provide the first focused overview of BPD-related content on TikTok and may inform future strategies to improve the quality of online mental health information.
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BibTeX
@article{evoy2026content,
title = {{Content, Engagement, and Information Quality of Borderline Personality Disorder Videos on TikTok: Mixed Methods Analysis.}},
author = {Gabrielle Evoy and Simon Poirier and Majorie Vadnais and Alexandre Hudon},
journal = {JMIR formative research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2196/106246},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902775},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Content, Engagement, and Information Quality of Borderline Personality Disorder Videos on TikTok: Mixed Methods Analysis.
AU - Gabrielle Evoy
AU - Simon Poirier
AU - Majorie Vadnais
AU - Alexandre Hudon
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - JMIR formative research
DO - 10.2196/106246
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902775
AB - Background TikTok has become a major source of mental health information, yet concerns persist regarding the quality and reliability of psychiatric content disseminated on the platform. While misinformation has been documented for several mental disorders, no study has specifically examined how borderline personality disorder (BPD) is portrayed on TikTok.Objective This study aims to characterize TikTok content related to BPD by describing its thematic content, engagement patterns, presenter characteristics, and indicators of information quality using a mixed methods secondary analysis.Methods This mixed methods observational study performed a secondary analysis of a previously established dataset of publicly available TikTok videos related to mental health. A total of 207 videos addressing BPD or BPD-like traits were included. Quantitative analyses summarized video characteristics, engagement metrics, presenter backgrounds, content type, intent, and authenticity indicators using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's methodology to identify recurrent narratives related to BPD.Results Among the 207 included videos, 185 (89.4%) were in English and 199 (96.1%) targeted the general public. Most creators (n=124, 59.9%) did not disclose professional credentials, whereas psychiatrists (n=18, 8.7%) and psychologists (n=16, 7.7%) represented the largest identified professional groups. Seven overarching themes were identified: understanding personality disorders, treatment and management, interpersonal relationships, myths and misconceptions, co-occurring disorders, personal experiences, and diagnosis and classification. Videos focused on personal experiences generated the highest audience engagement (mean weighted likes 2389, SD 6529; favorites 333, SD 707; shares 117, SD 287), whereas treatment-focused videos demonstrated substantially lower engagement (mean weighted likes 222, SD 360; favorites 54, SD 77; shares 19, SD 40). Opinion-based or mixed-content formats predominated across most themes. Reference-based information remained limited, ranging from 0% to 33.3% depending on thematic category, while misinformation was observed across multiple themes, particularly understanding personality disorders (20/81, 24.7%) and diagnosis and classification (14/48, 29.2%). Experiential and relational narratives were substantially more prominent and engaging than evidence-based psychoeducational content.Conclusions TikTok discourse surrounding BPD is dominated by experiential narratives that foster engagement but frequently rely on opinion-based rather than evidence-based information. Although many videos may provide validation and reduce stigma, the limited use of references and the persistence of misinformation highlight the need for the greater involvement of mental health professionals in producing accessible, accurate, and engaging digital content. To our knowledge, these findings provide the first focused overview of BPD-related content on TikTok and may inform future strategies to improve the quality of online mental health information.
SN - 2561-326X
ER -