My name is Juliette and I just finished my fourth year of Applied Psychology. This project was something I was really interested in and it combined both the tech and practice aspects of our course.
My project focused on the psycho-social benefits of comment sharing on YouTube videos about individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder. I used 4 videos and in each video the individual discussed their everyday symptoms of the disorder, their experiences, and how they had been stigmatised due to their BPD. I used a thematic analysis for my research project. The comments below the YouTube videos were used for the analysis and 5 main themes arose from this analysis. The findings of this study emphasised the significance of reducing the stigma surrounding BPD through open and honest conversations and increasing awareness.
This study delves into viewers' engagement with YouTube comments on videos discussing Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). It identifies several key themes: Everyday Experiences, Severity of Symptoms, Personal Connection, Destigmatizing the Disorder, and Educating/Informing. These themes align with previous research on Internet-based interventions for mental health disorders, emphasizing the importance of representation, support networks, and anonymous sharing in online communities. YouTube comments play a positive role in fostering understanding and providing support for individuals with BPD.