I honestly had no idea people felt that way about your videos and snaps... I've always seen them as proof that what I feel is real and that even people I admire can be affected by depression and anxiety as well. But I guess that as a content creator you should really take these other perspectives into account.

But I'd also like to say that I find the tone of some of the comments in this video really despicable... I've seen a couple of people talking about how you've made your depression a part of your "brand" and I think that's nonsense. As a youtuber who draws from your personal life to produce videos AND is currently struggling with your mental health, I believe it'd be impossible not to explore the theme frequently. I do believe you should try to reach out to friends as well, but for your own good. That absolutely does not mean you should quit discussing mental health online. Maybe try to talk about it on social media when you're out of a crisis, like yazpanda said, but talking about it IS important. I don't think it's a bad thing to be associated with the topic, like some have suggested in the comments. IMO, we've spent too long without people willing to address mental health - it's not about stopping to talk about it, but figuring out better and more efficient/helpful ways to do so.

Thank you for everything, I find it really decent of you to take some time to reflect on the impact of your actions on your audience and on yourself :)

Eli Chai I do think the way DODIE talks about her issues comes off as helpful and if she finds YouTube and Instagram to be good outlets for expressing herself in a healthy way then I don't see an issue with it

Eli Chai I'm a media student in uni and I deal with mental health issues too. I think what you're saying is pretty fair

Bárbara Reis THANK YOU. im really happy you said that.


Your mental health stories help me so much tho


I just cut my hair and now its exactly like Dodie's and so I look like a not as pretty Dodie... I am complete.


This is the first video of Dodie's on which I've seen any criticising comments.


Massive shame constantly calling yourselves "mental" and making jokes/ light of it. There's people out there that  who have mental illnesses that try extremely hard to avoid that adjective and there are people that don't speak out about what they're going through because of the fear of being labelled and called mental. Please think about what you're saying and what adverse affect it has on impressionable people who may then go on to use this word without knowing it's connotations. Also this reply isn't political correctness gone mad or a sensitive online social justice warrior crying over minor details it's someone who has real experience with what that word can do and mean to somebody who has severe mental health problems. I understand making light of your situation may help you and that's great but when you have such a big platform just think about your words slightly more perhaps since it's really not a flippant subject.


I stopped following you on Snapchat etc because your over-sharing really got to me. You have such an impressionable audience (young, depressed etc) and I think completely unfiltered constant updates about your mental health is really unhelpful. It brings me down and frustrates me. I think you talking about stuff is helpful but it needs to be to the right audience (doctors, friends, counsellors)) and I'm glad you're finally addressing it. I'm on my 5th type of antidepressant and found you discussing your meds not working frustrating as it feels like you've given up after 1 try. And you need to stop drinking on them because that completely negates any help they'll give. I know you want an escape and drinking is that solution but you need to persevere with these tablets. I love your music, but I think you need to be more aware of your online presence and it's affect on others. Well done for addressing it.

I completely understand people supporting Dodie, and like I said I love her art and I think she's a good person but at the end of the day she's asked for our opinions on the matter and mine is that she can do alot of damage with her publicity. She also does a lot of good too; one thing which hurts one person may well really help another. At the end of the day, this is Dodie's life and she can do what she will with it. I'm just answering the question she asked :)

Kelsey M no one is telling her what to do they are help her and giving her advice

stormthrush37 but it's not the fact it's uncensored, it's the fact it's often romanticised

stormthrush37 I'd like to firstly apologise for your not great experiences with professionals in mental health. Not all psychologists/psychiatrists are suited for all people - and if the one or ones you've had didnt work for you for whatever reason, you are completely entitled to ask for a re-referral. You dont have to stay with a professional that isn't working for you. Also, it's often good to keep in mind that while studying and degrees are how one becomes a mental health professional, each applies those teachings through their own personal lens. Some are more empathetic, some lean back and listen more, some just don't mesh with you, just like normal everyday people. And much like everyday people, if they aren't bringing anything positive to your life, then its okay to not see them again. But that doesn't mean that there isnt anyone our there that can bring positive things. Don't give up on mental health professionals because of some bad experiences,  please. Theres a whole world of information and methods out there that can help us get more mentally healthy, and professionals by virtue of the education they require for their qualifications, have a pretty good idea of those methods and can help make that world of information make more sense than it might if you were to delve in by yourself.

Helen Leswell THANK YOU I fed the exact same way

Kelsey M I mean they obviously have a lot of experience with meds and mental health so them telling Dodie the truth about medication and alcohol consumption isn't really a bad thing it's just brutal advice which in situations like this kinda need to be heard.

Thank you for sharing, but I absolutely see it another way. While her uncensored experiences might bring you down, I have had the opposite experience with what I've heard her say in her videos. In fact, the censoring of mental health discussions is what led me to check out of the "wisdom" of a lot of mental health professionals altogether. They wanted to stand high and mighty and better on their moral thrones and masculine pride and degrees, rather than get down in the trenches with me and validate my experiences as perfectly understandable. Meanwhile, Dodie has given me the courage to face my issues and know I'm not alone. My hat's off to her for that.

Kelsey M but it's so true, you can't give up at the first hurdle with medication, and it sets a bad example

Kinda think you're crossing a line telling her what to do with her body (that she shouldn't drink, or how she should take her meds). Her friends are in a place to make those types of suggestions, but a stranger online directing her behavior as if they know what's best for her does not seem very helpful or supportive. I'm sure you love Dodie like we all do, but sometimes those comments hurt more than help.

I'm really bad at putting my feelings into words and you just described exactly how i feel about this issue perfectly

1 week is no where near enough time to give anti depressants to work. It should be at least 3  months. Chemical imbalances aren't sorted out overnight.

Eclectic it's not that, it's the manner in which she discusses it,

Helen Leswell when she talks about it, it helps her. Talking about issues and explaining yourself always seems to help. Maybe it'd be better if she told everyone "alright guys, I'm about to rant about my health. If it'll effect you negatively, I suggest you not watch" but whenever I talk about things happening to me, it makes it seem better. Maybe that's the case for her. If her stories bring you down, the it's best that you did unfollow her, but there's no need to tell her what's she doing isn't helpful.

Abbie Wilson i really agree with your second comment there. I'm trying my 3rd SSRI right now, and dodie talking about giving up got to me too - not her personal experience as only she knows what's right for her body, but the fact her posts might discourage others from trying medication or thinking it's ok to give up on them so soon

I love when she talks about how she's feeling. It makes me feel like I'm not alone.

Helen Leswell yes i'm waiting for a doctors appointment as my doctor said i should try out a 3rd medication. i knew going in it may not work so i went in not expecting anything to be instant. i'm still horribly frustrated and annoyed about it. but hearing dodie going on about possibly giving up after 1 week because it took away her emotions bothered me. try it longer, if it doesn't work, book a doctors appointment and try a new one. i understand everyone struggles differently and i really hope dodie finds a way to deal with her mental health more productively. but as an influencer, she shouldnt be so pessimistic about professional help online. she's unintentionally dissuading her viewers from reaching out for professional help themselves :/

Helen Leswell I had to stop with her social media too because although I understand it, it really brought me down and made me feel so much worse


I'm crying because this is all so fucking relatable, and also I hate seeing you unhappy because I love you (both) a lot. why do things have to be like that.


For these types of subjects I just tend to avoid them...😣 So unhealthily of me...I tend to avoid other feelings too


I'm not completely sure if this app is available in the U.K., but Vent is a really good app!


I think that everyone is dealing with their mental illness the way they really can. There's no right way to do that. It just sucks and yeah, many people later regret doing something, but can't help not to do it. Because when I have bad periods of time and I do nothing, but stay in bed, probably watching something. I can't read, lately can't sleep at night, I'm either angry or deeply hurt all the time, I don't want to hurt my love ones, but there's nothing to help me not to do that. So we cannot judje Dodie for oversharing in any way.


Finally finally finally finally finally finally you uploaded


Recently started following you but unsubscribe because your videos got to dark...you have a great voice and wish you the best.


When I think about one thing it's like having a pebble and as I think and think I get more pebbles and before I know it I am under a boulder, then the boulder just holds me down and does not allow me to live my life. At this point in my life, a feel trap under this boulder and it's hard to separate the boulder back into pebbles.


I am a massive fan of you dodie, however I do find that they way you talk about mental illness is unhealthy. Specifically I found it extremely difficult to read your tweets about your experience with anti-depressants. As someone who is taking antidepressants, I was trying to relate to what you were saying which isn't healthy. Antidepressants have completely changed my life for the better and I thought that some young people who could potentially need antidepressants in the future or now may have been put off by what you were saying. I know antidepressants are different for everyone and I know you said that but it just felt a little irresponsible to say what you were saying. I love your videos and have been a fan since 2011 and all I want is for you to be happy and healthy. I know as someone who has struggled with depression and depersonalisation it can be difficult to see past that bubble but when you have such a large audience of mostly young people it can be quite worrying to listen to what you say. <br>However, I would just like to say that you're doing an amazing job at breaking down barriers and challenging the stigma but sometimes it's all a bit too much. x

I am a massive fan of you dodie, however I do find that they way you talk about mental illness is unhealthy. Specifically I found it extremely difficult to read your tweets about your experience with anti-depressants. As someone who is taking antidepressants, I was trying to relate to what you were saying which isn't healthy. Antidepressants have completely changed my life for the better and I thought that some young people who could potentially need antidepressants in the future or now may have been put off by what you were saying. I know antidepressants are different for everyone and I know you said that but it just felt a little irresponsible to say what you were saying. I love your videos and have been a fan since 2011 and all I want is for you to be happy and healthy. I know as someone who has struggled with depression and depersonalisation it can be difficult to see past that bubble but when you have such a large audience of mostly young people it can be quite worrying to listen to what you say.
However, I would just like to say that you're doing an amazing job at breaking down barriers and challenging the stigma but sometimes it's all a bit too much. x


once i had an allergic reaction and a panic attack at the same time


You are overstating.
You do romanticise mental health and depression heavily.
I'm being blunt because you have a powerful position of influence, and some of your audience are very impressionable.
Don't let the theme of depression become any more a part of your brand.

hippopajamas all I feel from everything that I've read from the comments is that, we need to be a little aware of what we say. yes she may have romanticised mental health in past. but sending out harsh comments is not what she wants. we all need to state our opinions without making them sound like judgements.

hjrames I understand what you are saying, but shes still so young and learning. Give her time.

ELLAS I WAS THINKING THE EXACT SAME THING WHEN SHE SAID THAT. Not all artists have been mentally ill, so there's no reason to draw the connection. I think mental illness can be something artists can definitely pull from during the creative process, but it's certainly not the only thing

I don't think romanticize is the proper word for what she does. Tv shows romanticize mental illness by having characters that are overtly sad. Dodie doesn't romanticize, she shows us every part of depression, the ups the downs, how she tries to help herself and cope (her art) , and the help she is getting. That's not romanticism, that's treating a whole world of people as if they are close friends when we aren't. She needs to find a balance between sharing to raise awareness and stepping into the information that she, her therapist, or her close friends should only know.

yep "do we create because we're depressed or are we depressed because we create" - why is depression so intrinsically tied up in her ability to create?

hjrames
Yo...this is kind of true tho...
Kind of like poeticising it for the sake of art and its kind of fucked.


by constantly expressing your negative emotions on your youtube channel, it makes it seem like a bubble of sadness sometimes. just as how some youtubers only vlog happy parts of their lives and make it seem like their lives are perfect, you sometimes overshare to the point where it could give the message to your audience that life is all sadness. don't get me wrong,  i have struggled with mental health issues before, and your songs about your own struggles have helped me in knowing i was not alone. but, it can be unhealthy for you and your audience if you constantly extend your negative feelings. maybe just try and create a healthy balance by acknowledging the good things that are happening as well as the bad. So basically, i agree with the paragraph you wrote in the caption. i love you dodie, and i wish you the best!!!


I suddenly started crying in the middle of the video because I started to think about the time my dad threatened to send me to a mental hospital because of my anxiety. Oof-


(Not sure if you're still reading these but) I do think you overshare, but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing, as if you weren't to share your thoughts/emotions etc. then you would feel trapped and alone and you know the rest. I think it's important however to not let it define you, as everyday on your snap/insta/twitter there is something about your mental health - and yes !! it's important to talk about these things - but, it could be triggering, it could give the wrong impression and it could be unhealthy. In regards to people not understanding you, I completely agree and it's hard to think about people not understanding what you mean/feel, but because you create such beautiful songs/art/etc. i think that that should be your sole outlet (on social media) for talking and sharing your mental state because it works WONDERS for you nd ur friends nd ur viewers xxxxx


Literally every single friend I've ever had who said 'talk to me when ur low I'm here for you'... I've texted them, and they have literally said like 'aww bub it's ok it'll get better. Ok bye' and I'm like ??????? They are not there for me! That is not being there for someone with depression! So many people say they're there for depressed people just so that they feel like better people within themselves, and then when it comes to actually supporting someone, they're like 'ok time for the generic response that gets me out of this as soon as physically possible'! So I've just trusted someone with my feelings and my health, and they've completely let me down and neglected me and lied about their support for me, and I lose all confidence sharing again. There is literally nobody I can fully talk to when I'm close to passing out or throwing up from anxiety, or after being in bed for 5 days in a row cos I just can't move. <br>I don't trust people to be there for me. Because they're not.

Literally every single friend I've ever had who said 'talk to me when ur low I'm here for you'... I've texted them, and they have literally said like 'aww bub it's ok it'll get better. Ok bye' and I'm like ??????? They are not there for me! That is not being there for someone with depression! So many people say they're there for depressed people just so that they feel like better people within themselves, and then when it comes to actually supporting someone, they're like 'ok time for the generic response that gets me out of this as soon as physically possible'! So I've just trusted someone with my feelings and my health, and they've completely let me down and neglected me and lied about their support for me, and I lose all confidence sharing again. There is literally nobody I can fully talk to when I'm close to passing out or throwing up from anxiety, or after being in bed for 5 days in a row cos I just can't move.
I don't trust people to be there for me. Because they're not.


Dodie I think your should make a "mental health sc" where you can go and spill everything onto so that when you need an outlet its there. The people that don't want to see that kind of stuff doesn't have to follow that sc account. And you can still put your normal stuff on your doddleoddle sc

I agree with Lottie, this feels like it could spiral into something dangerous and it doesn't feel helpful anyone other than dodie. I don't think this is a productive idea for anyone

Shay S I really like this idea because I kind of rely on how open she is and I don't want her to stop being open both for her health and need to express and for my need for her understanding.

this could be a good idea! although perhaps not entirely for the reasons you've suggested. i think creating a private acc or a mental health snap acc or whatever else would be good because 1) it would allow dodie to ensure her Brand™ is not too reliant on her poor mental health which only encourages poor mental wellbeing on her behalf and 2) it forces you to consciously decide that you're going to talk openly and freely about how crap you feel and in my experience it means you do it a lot less but you don't feel like you're restricting yourself, all it does is make you put your thoughts into perspective just for a second if nothing else

this doesn't seem like a good idea i'm sorry, it would just create this circle jerk community of people being sad

i think a lot of it is also how unhealthy it is to just use social media to talk about her (or anyones) problems. using this platform or just any type of social media to get these things out is not doing any good in the long run. so instead of talking to this fake snapchat, i think she should work on reaching out in her real life. :) xxx

i like this idea but i'm worried that there would be certain groups of people who would purposefully watch it to trigger themselves and make themselves feel worse, so maybe she should make it a private snapchat and not tell anyone what it's called ???

Shay S this is such a good idea. I hope she sees this +++


I don't have social media and I try to limit myself to the amount of influence I receive from society and the outside world so I can make my own opinions and work on myself to know that my feelings are my own (Idk what the point of this comment is but I just want it out there)


hi sorry this video was posted so long ago and im only now responding(i just saw it). honestly i can see the whole over sharing thing both ways, like sometimes it’s kinda like “suddenly sadness!” But then other times when im like really down, I see people who I look up to on the internet talking relatively vividly about their experiences with mental illnesses and my brain goes “at least you aren’t alone in this!” and it helps to know that I truly am not alone. howeverrr, when im super happy n stuff, i wish there was like a warning sometimes because it like makes my brain go “Dude, ur so inconsiderate for being so happy. There’s people who feel so down and they could use what happiness you have in this moment!” (Sounds weird ik but still)

i love dodie very very much and she truly has helped in a multitude of ways!💜


I realize that when we're feeling low it can be difficult to create content about anything else, but I would personally really love to see thoughtful, emotional content about other aspects of yourself then the depressive or anxious bits, or about aspects of your life that you haven't covered yet. You might even step outside yourself to make content about the things in the world you find interesting, and make your channel more about You, the Full, Complex Dodie you are, rather than the sad bits that tend to surface or a specific image you feel the need to curate. You are more intricate than you are letting yourself believe, explore, or show.


When I feel depressed, I like to get up and do things. I know the feeling of feeling depressed and doing nothing—it SU-UCKS. When I co-occupy my mind with other tasks, I get fleeting thoughts of all of my emotional and mental scars, and after I have done something that makes me feel GOOD, I think, “Yeah, I’m not doing too hot, but this sure is a whole lot better than wallowing in my own self-pity.” Basically, when I feel depressed, I try to remind myself that there is happiness, and that life is worth living if you pull yourself out of that whole and do things and try to think things that make you happy.


Could someone possibly tell me what was said on snapchat?


I’m not contributing to the mental health argument but please don’t yell at the ambulance people because they dedicate their lives to helping people and don’t deserve the yells <3


"Can you drink all my thoughts, cause I can't stand them" ....intertwined.


I'm so lost in people saying she "romanticizes" depression so talking about it or writing songs about it or discussing it in a video or (and I don't think this is healthy to do ALL the time) talking about it via social media is romanticizing? Personally I am a "high functioning" depressed person so making art that reflects how I feel helps me and helps me put the feelings somewhere else? and sharing them with people is therapeutic in a way bc you can find people who are going through the same thing and god forbid you want 2 comments of validation or support from a distance. ooh and god when she said its hard to talk to friends because you feel like a burden. That's incredibly true.

also: When she said she feels like she has to share or people won't believe her that hit close to home. It's like this one comment below somewhere said in reference to her "i am depressed today" video they said "that's not what depression looks like" fuck that made me so mad.

She literally told that she needs depression for her "art". Let that sink it. She shares it for attention, nothing more.


i started watching this video before the notif went off lmao


dodie, when I feel horrible I have a private instagram account which I pour my heart out on and get my emotions out, and if I want people to help I'll let them follow it for some time if I trust them. Maybe that's an idea? A private instagram account or sc account or YouTube account, to get everything out, and let it only be for your friends to follow, and look at the difference between the reaction on one account and on the other, and slowly you'll learn what helps and what doesn't.


I feel super dumb talking to 'you' (Dodie), because there's a sea of a thousand comments and why should I think I'll get through, but why not try? First of all, you are a person, not a thing, a product, an idol, and what you need to do is cope or heal. If speaking your feelings is how you do that, then do it. Screw this idea of you 'oversharing', you share as much as you need to.

The problem doesn't come from oversharing, it comes from solipsism and wallowing. Maybe your group of friends (or even your audience) isn't the best place to find help (or maybe it is, or maybe who the hell knows... whatever you use to cope/heal needs to work for you and no one else). However, if you're just living in the deep darkness of your worst feelings, and throwing them out to the world, and not getting anything back, all you're doing is wallowing.

You can stand in a crowd forever and be just as alone as you are in your room by yourself. If you want to talk out to us, then get something out of it. Find someone, or a few someones, in that crowd that will hear you, and more than that, people who will challenge you and make you think or act differently. If you're not happy with yourself, there's obviously something wrong with you, even if that something wrong is just that you aren't happy with yourself. So, whatever you are doing, in some way, isn't working if your regularly diving into these deep pits of blackness, something has to break you out.

It won't be easy, and it's always okay to be a little 'broken' from time to time.

Anyway, here's one voice talking back at you, and for you, and anyone else who finds their way across this message, and maybe needs that voice to drag them out of the darkness. I can't promise I'll save you, but I am willing to listen, I'm willing to talk back, and I'm willing to challenge. If something there speaks to anyone here, send me a message. Maybe I can't help, but reaching out is the first step to someone reaching back.

I feel super dumb talking to 'you' (Dodie), because there's a sea of a thousand comments and why should I think I'll get through, but why not try? First of all, you are a person, not a thing, a product, an idol, and what you need to do is cope or heal. If speaking your feelings is how you do that, then do it. Screw this idea of you 'oversharing', you share as much as you need to.

The problem doesn't come from oversharing, it comes from solipsism and wallowing. Maybe your group of friends (or even your audience) isn't the best place to find help (or maybe it is, or maybe who the hell knows... whatever you use to cope/heal needs to work for *you* and no one else). However, if you're just living in the deep darkness of your worst feelings, and throwing them out to the world, and not getting anything back, all you're doing is wallowing.

You can stand in a crowd forever and be just as alone as you are in your room by yourself. If you want to talk out to us, then get something out of it. Find someone, or a few someones, in that crowd that will hear you, and more than that, people who will challenge you and make you think or act differently. If you're not happy with yourself, there's obviously something wrong with you, even if that something wrong is just that you aren't happy with yourself. So, whatever you are doing, in some way, isn't working if your regularly diving into these deep pits of blackness, something has to break you out.

It won't be easy, and it's always okay to be a little 'broken' from time to time.

Anyway, here's one voice talking back at you, and for you, and anyone else who finds their way across this message, and maybe needs that voice to drag them out of the darkness. I can't promise I'll save you, but I am willing to listen, I'm willing to talk back, and I'm willing to challenge. If something there speaks to *anyone* here, send me a message. Maybe I can't help, but reaching out is the first step to someone reaching back.


I've seen good and bad comments, people being supportive and people having to stop watching. For the people who have had to stop because it's affecting you, I'm sorry, you will get there, you will recover💜About social media, try putting a trigger warning before your snapchats so people who want to watch, can watch but others can skip it if they need to. Or even create seperate accounts for mental health talk.


A big problem these days is that younger people seem to WANT a mental illness, ESPECIALLY if someone they look up to suffers from a mental illness. They almost romanticise it, as though it makes you interesting and unique and cool. So many teens self-diagnose and go around saying/insisting they have BPD or depression or anxiety as if it's cute or sweet, as if sadness is romantic and beautiful. It's so incredibly toxic. Like, find me a single person on tumblr that doesn't say they have depression and anxiety.

I think kids need to be told by those they look up to that they can't give themselves a diagnosis, that they need to see a doctor and find out about what's going on from a professional rather than deciding "I get sad sometimes and I worry so I have depression and anxiety". Mental illness isn't cool or fun or cute or romantic. It's fucking HORRIBLE, and not something people should want.

A lot of teens need to realise that they are just moulding themselves to fit a diagnosis and insist that they're mentally ill. It's very frustrating to see kids do that.


I'm a little late to the party here, and nobody will probably read this, but I think you are oversharing, but I completely understand. As Melanie Murphy said in her wonderful video - it is a coping mechanism that does override human interaction, and for people involved it can be tough. For you, of course, Dodie, it is probably something that you feel bad about, sharing it with others, however, I believe that young audiences need to be open about this for our generation's sake. For friends, it is tough, but I think sharing your thoughts with them both in person and over messages is tough either way. For us, your audience, we can only be aware of what the extent is - if we don't want to watch your content, then we won't, but you forget that your Snapchat and Instagram are also a diary of the good times, and just because you want to share your experiences doesn't mean you have to do it while you are in your dark place. I would recommend stopping, just because it is an addiction that could be beaten, and consequences could be avoided. But know, Dodie, that I, and the rest of your true community also, is behind you and your content no matter what you decide to share.


"if you were happy everyday of your life you wouldn't be human, you'd be a gameshow host."


God i love Zannah, she just talks so mucb sense!!


Someone I used to be close friends with saw my Instagram captions and asked another friend if I was ok. She never asked me, or showed any proof of even seeing anything. On the more serious ones where I'm breaking down no one cares. I shouldn't even be here. No one wants me here. Not even I want me here.

i want you here. i'm sure dodie does too. i'm sure a lot of people in your life do, they just have no idea how to reach out: just like Hazel was saying she didn't know what Dodie needed after those snapchats. i totally understand that alone feeling- and it really really sucks. i'm sorry you're going through shit, but please keep going.


you romanticize it way too much, even though it's unintentional. It just kind of belittles it all I guess

Creed Bratton omg hi creeds how’s Stanley and Jim  and Michael? Have u sold much paper Recently 😂


(tw mentions of anxiety, suicide and depression)

i completely get how some people could be triggered by your snaps or instagrams and how some could argue that your audience is very impressionable,,, but honestly i think some of the comments are kind of, unfair in a way?? i've thought about it and honestly people recover and get through stuff differently?
your instagram captions to me are incredibly raw and r e a l but you don't phrase them as if there's something 'tragically beautiful' about it. romanticizing mental illness IS damaging on many fronts and it ultimately led to my current mental issues, but it was the quotes like 'suicidal people are angels just wanting to get back to heaven' which doesn't capture the REALITY of mental illness that's it's ugly for the person experiencing it and painful. but your captions do capture that for me.
  i think the problem is people feel so so alone when they're suffering through this and they cling to any form of vent to get it out, and in dodie's case i think that people care about it so much because it is being broadcasted to such a large audience. what i don't agree with in this comment section is the claims that dodie is very self-pity based --- to me that just perpetuates the stigma around mental illness???? it's important to understand that people want to find someone to, for lack of better word, relate to. and maybe it's not 'good' because many of her audience is young and impressionable, but calling it self-pity is...???
 i think you need to continue sharing, but also talk about the good days and hope for the future, because it's definitely bright.


So you want to end a video on a good note but in the very end you say that you've been laying on a floor and staying on your phone for a week, "pity me, I can't do anything"


I always feel like im over sharing...... ill finally reach out... and the other person just drops out at some point while I finally felt I could share whats on my mind.... and suddenly i realize they have gone and im just messaging.. no reply....no insight...which isnt always needed but its hard when the friends are sooo far away..but i realize im essentially talking out loud...on message...but i guess im talking to myself?

Then i feel worse cuz it took me a loooong time to even open up.
And the other person .......cricket sounds.

Or my favorite when a family member who asked hows it going.... realizing they want the old generic reply of "good thanks..how are you"

I say a mild version of whats goin on.
And i get.. well ...good luck with that.

So i say hows things with you.
" good thanks" or...
Nothing for months until i message them again.
Well... nice chatting with you
But really if i wanted to talk to myself.. i will... and have.. since sometimes i find myself just talking it out ...out loud.

Grateful for my sweet little dog.. he doesn't reply w words but he does give unconditional love and paws at me or licks my kuckles when im anxious.
Hes even licked tears off my cheeks on the really tough days.
Grateful for this sweet little dude.
He is the sweetness in  my life.
Also ... signed up for ukelele lessons starting this weekend.

Speeking of over sharing. 🙄


Hazel, you are right that suffering at times is a part of life but not to that extent. There is something wrong if you can't see how fucking amazing yours and Dodies lives are and if other things get you so down that you can't appreciate anything else anymore..<br>Sorry for the english..

Hazel, you are right that suffering at times is a part of life but not to that extent. There is something wrong if you can't see how fucking amazing yours and Dodies lives are and if other things get you so down that you can't appreciate anything else anymore..
Sorry for the english..


Hi everyone! I understand this will soon be devoured into the pit of unread comments, but because dodie Clark is such an all around graceful being, let's start a comment chain for her! Start it off if you'd like by replying with your favorite thing about dodie. Thanks! 💋


I see so many people saying things like they feel like she makes her younger (more easily influenced) followers sort of feel like they ARE mentally ill though they aren't really anything but sad and confused. But honestly I think I was one of these people and I LOVE DODIE'S SNAPCHAT. I watch it all the time and I miss it when I'm done watching it. I love how she describes her feelings so well that they seem tangible and so realistic. Yes they may seem romanticised but I see how she struggles behind it all and how much it makes her hurt and somewhere I may find it 'cool' or 'aesthetic' or necessary to be creative but I think mostly it makes me glad Im not struggling with this sort of issue that can be debilitating in some cases. It makes want to fight for those who suffer so they can receive care and be happy and experience life like others can. IT ISNT FUN IT ISN'T PRETTY AND IT ISN'T COOL AND I THINK THAT'S THE MESSAGE SHE SENDS. I do think however that she should make a video on her YouTube talking about how she is broken by it and how she doesn't wish it on anyone and just clarify that it isn't something to wish for either. That's all. I love you dodie and we may not know you personally but I think through these videos I feel more connected to you than ever.


Sharing mental health issues is of utmost importance! People shouldn't be afraid of sharing how they feel or be ashamed. If they are then they can't get help.


I wish I had someone who actually understood and didn't just think I was joking when I felt down but it's probably realistically just my insecurities making me feel like nobody cares, which is also quite selfish of me because my insecurity and self doubt is making others seem like awful careless friends


it really does annoy me how you romanticize mental illness. I love you, and your videos have helped at times when im at my lowest. but i remember when you posted the "I am depressed today" video. i was feeling awfully depressed that day, and i thought i could find comfort knowing im not alone and maybe you'd have something to say to help. but when i watched it, all i saw was camera angles switching and thinking of you setting up a mic and camera and what'll you do in the video. it wasn't depression. i couldn't get out of bed while you did camera shots of making food. it felt fake. that was not what depression looks like. you were wallowing in it instead of trying to help yourself and your audience. from then on i just kept seeing you make depression this thing that fuels your words and songs and who you are. another time i remember your snapchats on how medication wasn't working and how it was hopeless. i started a new medication when that happened and after watching it i cried and cried because what was the point. seeing you hopeless made me hopeless. you have a lot of influence. if you don't think you offer some hope or a message to what you say about depression, don't post it, or at least but a tw. (thisss is so long but i just have thoughts and i love dodie but it's hard to follow her when she hurts your health u know )

@lara arif Overall a decent sentiment, but that line "that was not what depression looks like". No, just no, you absolutely do not get to be the gate keeper of what depression looks like. That may be what it looks like for you, but making assumptions based merely on your own experience is the kind of thing that leads to stigma around depression in the first place. I know you maybe just didn't quite think that through or something, but please nuke that thought.

i hate that you said "that was not what depression looks like." don't do that. do not do that.

Okay, but that’s how depression affects YOU. There are so many ways depression affects people. One major way is people putting all their time and effort into their work... which is what’s I think dodie does to cope with it. She writes music and poetry and makes and edits videos. She copes by making things and doing something. I do similar things as dodie does. Does that mean my depression is fake? No. Depression affects your mental state, it’s why it’s a mental illness. And since everyone has a different mind, we cope differently... you just have to remember that.

bella b I don’t agree with that. Because often times when I’m at my lowest of the lows, I have to do something, usually unnecessary, to get my mind off of things. So sometimes setting up a camera and doing that all preparing of food is something that can get your mind off of things.

You can’t just say that what she was doing didn’t “look like depression”. If you were in bed doing nothing when you were depressed, that’s YOU. That doesn’t mean that when someone is depressed that they will lie in bed all day. People have different coping mechanisms to cope with their bad brain and if Dodie made camera shots of food that doesn’t mean that she’s not depressed. Just remember that people have different ways of reacting and coping to depression, not everyone will react the same. There is not only one snapshot of what depression should look like.

This is really interesting because that video was what made me subscribe to dodie in the first place

bella b completely agree with this! It's starting to feel very very fake and it feels like people are putting YouTubers with mental illness on a pedestal simply because they're of celeb status. If it was anyone "ordinary," it would be considered attention-seeking or fake.


I can totally relate to the seeking support and needing reassurance but also to the point where I feel so needy for it. Like I know I overreact I know I think the worst too much which doesn't help me but i can't stop and it gets to the point I'm begging for attention and a you're okay. But I'm trying to take a step back and have time to myself, do the 24 hour thing where I just wait it out cause if after a day I don't have the same dark passion, it wasn't really that important in the first place  ¯\<i>(ツ)</i>/¯

I can totally relate to the seeking support and needing reassurance but also to the point where I feel so needy for it. Like I know I overreact I know I think the worst too much which doesn't help me but i can't stop and it gets to the point I'm begging for attention and a you're okay. But I'm trying to take a step back and have time to myself, do the 24 hour thing where I just wait it out cause if after a day I don't have the same dark passion, it wasn't really that important in the first place  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


Wow, now i don't know if it's good or not that i don't use social medias.


I think discussing so much at night when you are in that rlly bad place gets you more and more into that mind set. The longer u investigate it the more you dig this hole. And when you are in that low spot your brain I feel may latch to the "answers" and destructive ideas youfind. Making things even worse mentally, making you believe more and more in the bad stuff causing you to forget the good stuff. And it's all good to understand and accept the bad but the more and more u think abt it ESPECIALLY at night the less you notice the good. <br>When I'm in that position at night thinking about all the bad things and going down a spiral- not even necessarily over sharing. Just the thinking- I developed the mechanism of flicking like a switch. You need that self awareness and control to remember when you are crossing the line and are becoming self pitiful almost- becoming very in depth with ur emotions making you more emotional. When you realise that's when you just sleep or read or something. Your brain can't focus but at least just thinking abt how you can't focus and that's it. Not why. That's at least enough I find. Funnily it was Greg that helped get me to the place when I stop and hold myself back from myself

I think discussing so much at night when you are in that rlly bad place gets you more and more into that mind set. The longer u investigate it the more you dig this hole. And when you are in that low spot your brain I feel may latch to the "answers" and destructive ideas youfind. Making things even worse mentally, making you believe more and more in the bad stuff causing you to forget the good stuff. And it's all good to understand and accept the bad but the more and more u think abt it ESPECIALLY at night the less you notice the good.
When I'm in that position at night thinking about all the bad things and going down a spiral- not even necessarily over sharing. Just the thinking- I developed the mechanism of flicking like a switch. You need that self awareness and control to remember when you are crossing the line and are becoming self pitiful almost- becoming very in depth with ur emotions making you more emotional. When you realise that's when you just sleep or read or something. Your brain can't focus but at least just thinking abt how you can't focus and that's it. Not why. That's at least enough I find. Funnily it was Greg that helped get me to the place when I stop and hold myself back from myself


I thought it was just me thinking this about dodie, I love her so much but I've had to start avoiding her Snapchats because they can make me start feeling a bit down myself 😬


Yeah it really it romanticising it ngl it makes me wanna be in the position like you because it seems cute and vunerable

Hello there,

So your comment has me worried and wondering if you just realised what you commented and whether you understood the weight of your words.

Having a mental illness like depression, PTSD, anxiety etc. is not something to be romanticised, have you ever considered that being "cute" or "vulnerable" or whatever you people think of nowadays, because of a mental illness is actually not considered fun by those who have mental illnesses? Have you ever considered that because everytime someone posts something about mental illness to educate the community about mental illness, someone will always have this misconception that it's cute? Or all in your head?  In this situation, I do not think it's Dodie romanticising the situation, it's you.

Once you end up having thoughts like this, you have to really wonder why you have that thought. It's very unhealthy (especially for the younger ones as they will grow up in a situation in which talks about mental health will be much more prevalent) and in all honesty, you just have to ask yourself on whether you actually understand and are educated on the situation or whether you need to be educated about this.

Having a mental illness is not fun, it is one of the worst things ever to me. Why? Because with thoughts like this and people thinking that it's cute or something, it puts a lot of myths and misconception and an overall horrible stigma and reputation. Dodie is sharing this video with us, the audience behind the screen, to educate us in hopes that we learn something about this. Even if she is oversharing, I am pretty sure that you can either choose to ignore it or to learn from this.

Another thing, I understand if you don't understand what it's like to have a mental illness, especially if you're young because I don't fully understand and will probably never will unless I have a mental illness. But it's best to acknowledge that it is not good, and with what you're saying about the mental illness, it's probably not a healthy mindset and you should try to understand why it is not good and how to change/educate yourself about it.

(sorry for the essay about this, I just had a lot to say)
x

I feel as if in this situation you may be the one romanticising the situation, and I'm not saying this because "I'm a big fan of Dodie" but because she really is suffering and talks about how mental illness isn't a good thing, at all? She doesn't speak about depression as a good thing nor a particularly empowering thing either. She's sharing this to us because she knows that part of her audience would genuinely learn from her videos. And honestly, she may have been slightly oversharing (which you can definitely ignore). However, in no way did she ever encourage it or implicitly/ explicitly idealize illnesses OR make it sound like it's any better than it really is.

It may be hard for (young) people that's never really been through mental illnesses to understand fully that depression/depersonalization/any illnesses are absolutely undesirable, especially for people that idolize/follow content creators with mental illnesses. Since the idols themselves may be seemingly inseparable from the illnesses themselves. Therefore it's very important for people (like you, and other people) to acknowledge her situation and acknowledge how undesirable the illness really is, instead of blindly, shallowly interpreting it as simply a cute accessory that people put on to make themselves seem "better". Because it's not.

(sorry for the very long message but I feel the need to bring this up, have a good day)
x

I feel as if in this situation you may be the one romanticising the situation, and I'm not saying this because "I'm a big fan of Dodie" but because she really *is* suffering and talks about how mental illness isn't a good thing, at all? She doesn't speak about depression as a good thing nor a particularly empowering thing either. She's sharing this to us because she knows that part of her audience would genuinely learn from her videos. And honestly, she may have been slightly oversharing (which you can definitely ignore). However, *in no way did she ever encourage it or implicitly/ explicitly idealize illnesses OR make it sound like it's any better than it really is.*

It may be hard for (young) people that's never really been through mental illnesses to understand fully that depression/depersonalization/any illnesses are absolutely undesirable, especially for people that idolize/follow content creators with mental illnesses. Since the idols themselves may be seemingly inseparable from the illnesses themselves. Therefore it's very important for people (like you, and other people) to acknowledge her situation and acknowledge how undesirable the illness really is, instead of blindly, shallowly interpreting it as simply a cute accessory that people put on to make themselves seem "better". Because it's not.

(sorry for the very long message but I feel the need to bring this up, have a good day)
x

If you think her condition seems cute and vulnerable then I think you're romanticizing it a bit too. I may agree that it can feel a little bit like she's romanticizing, but I've never ever thought that she is cute because she is vulnerable from it. If that makes any sense?

Everyone in the comments put it in these very technical terms that make sense, but I feel this one on deep level and I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like the way she puts it makes her seem vulnerable and almost special, in a way that a lot of people want to feel like.


"It's easier when you're physically sick" mmmm no


I agree that dodie does over share. I'd watch her snap chats when she hits a low point and I'd feel bad because I can't do anything to help her. And since I know when she's hit a low on her snap chat, I was able to figure out that on the FineBros she wasn't feeling well. Same goes for Disney..


it's like, how can people not feel like you're romanticising depression and anxiety and dr/dp when you talk about how you almost need them to be creative? you took sertraline, it made you numb, you despaired about not being able to create. now, ive taken sertraline. hated it too. for the first 4 weeks i felt sick numb spaced out shaky twitchy and anxious. it was horrid. but by about week 6 those feelings went. after SIX MONTHS i decided it wasnt working as well as i needed.  but my feelings did come back, just without the high and lows of before, but with you you say you cant create without them? that you were bored because listening to sad songs didnt make you cry? these arent things you SHOULD yearn for.

when you share that to a young audience, it becomes this idea that depression is something thats desirable, and if they look up to you and want to create like you then they have to be depressed like you. even in this video "do we create because we're mentally ill, or are we mentally ill because we create?" neither. you create because you're creative, and your experiences inspire you but depression isn't what makes you write music. you don't need it to write. it's not your brand.

 you're stopping yourself healing by holding onto the depression. it's dangerous, for you and your fans, who are as young as 10.


It's so backwards, we all say 'We need to talk about mental illness more' but when we do, it's 'Oh no that's too much, you can share but not that much'

// courtenay // just give a working if its graphic or triggering and go one talk all you want

// courtenay // very old sorry so idk if opinions have changed but the key word is "share". sharing is an equitable <br>and healthy amount of giving and taking where both sides benefit. both sides consent to sharing, and there are boundaries in place depending on each side's needs. this wasn't the case here.

// courtenay // very old sorry so idk if opinions have changed but the key word is "share". sharing is an equitable
and healthy amount of giving and taking where both sides benefit. both sides consent to sharing, and there are boundaries in place depending on each side's needs. this wasn't the case here.

Dodies posts are extremely triggering for me as a mentally ill person, I know how important speaking about mental health is, but we should be coming for it from another perspective, one focused on healing and getting better. Dodies videos are kind of like... idk, sadness porn? If that makes sense. People like me cozy up in it and love the misery it brings us even though we know it's toxic. And thats why she needs to change her behaviour if she cares about her audience. Talking on snapchat how her meds made her feel empty and hopeless made me say no to meds when asked by my psychologist, a decision I now realise was probably very stupid and could have saved me much suffering.

I love dodie with all of my heart and I watch all of her videos even though I know they might trigger me, it's a free world and she can post whatever she wants of course, but we as an audience are also allowed to have an opinion on it.

there's a line you cross when discussing mental illnesses to where it becomes dangerous and damaging to those who are listening. ESPECIALLY because the majority of her audience are very young and hearing some of these details could make them unintentionally obsess over them and become more depressed/anxious/whatever. you must be sensitive to it. is it healthy to share? of course. is it healthy to share every single time it happens in graphic descriptions to millions of young people? I don't really think so.

But there is a happy medium where Dodie can post and talk about mental illness but still keep it in the range of being able to help people in the sense that they are not alone and that there is help, it does get better but only if you allow yourself to get better. What Dodie's audience has issues with is that instead of her sharing and talking about it, they feel she is talking about too much. Like now it's all she ever talks about and now to her audience it seems like it never gets better.

The happy medium would be Dodie getting to share about it to an extent, sharing what she's feeling but not too graphic to where the point it's only doing harm to influential minds. Maybe she could talk about what needs to be said and also throw in that she is doing something to help her and that of you feel this way, you should get help too (Idk if Dodie is actually getting help because it's been a while since she talked about therapy it's just the fact of the matter)

So essentially her audience would see that she is being "fake" of she didn't touch on mental illness at all because she wouldn't have been being true to herself online but at the same time promoting being you. BUT when she is excessively shoveling what she is going through on us so to say, it makes people feel like either she is trying to be trending by promoting that with depression comes creativity or they also get sad as well by what she is describing is triggering things in people that make them feel the same when Dodie says she is feeling.

Lydi@ I just don't understand, if Dodie needs to share then she should share, it's better than bottling it up. Some things you feel better confessing to strangers rather than friends.

Sweet Lolita This... so much this. 👌👌👌👏👏👏👍👍👍


To be honest I don't think you over share. Your snapchats are the only ones I actually watch and take in. I find it really interesting because I have been through really similar experiences mentally and it makes so much sense to hear it from someone else. It makes me want to reach out and try and show everyone how it does finally improve with time. But at the same time I still have those days where I am in the same place I was just over a year ago and to hear someone else go through it is comforting yet scary. I think happiness is what life is about and although we shouldn't seek for it so not to create false happiness it is something every one needs to remember that there is always light and there is always one positive and I think that should always be highlighted section in the brain. I don't know this was just a not very well planned or structured ramble.


Do you ever get those moments when you see someone and you're like I wish we could be friends you're just so good, that's me with Hazel and Dodie


To anyone that's reading this rigth now ... YOU'RE AWESOME


don't try to 'make mental illness into art' because it isn't art and it's clear you're trying to play the 'distrubed artist' character as someone else in the comments already pointed out. It's fine to talk about it, expecially the shitty details but then to pair it with aesthetic instagram images and romantisice it is really wrong i think. Of course it's important to get it out, but use a journal, or a therapist, or your friends, like every other mentally ill person does when they're experiencing symptoms. Don't put it out to your followers, many of whom are around 13-15 or younger.

Lucy Nielsen I dont know what she puts out there, so i cant really tell. But i think the only thing she shouldnt be doing is encourage people to act upon suicidal thoughts in any way. Other than that, i think she can complain as much as she wants. Mental illness is freaking horrible and sooo unfair. It makes even the idea of trying to fight it seem pointless. Telling people about it is a just a way to reach out for a little bit of help.

Mohammed Kortam While I see your point, Dodie knows she is responsible for what she puts on the internet, she knows she reaches a huge audience, and she's knows it is damaging to some people. Yet she continues to repeat this damaging behavior, which is in a sense selfish. And it doesn't even seem like it's helpful to her either, as she said in the video. I don't quite know why she'd keep doing this if it's not helping anyone.

Wtf she can do what she wants want and I'm 13 and I'm fine

crybaby When the therapist doesn't work, friends have enough troubles and journals can't talk back 🤔

okay i don't entirely disagree with you but i don't like how you said she's "playing the disturbed artist character" because that sounds awfully like you're saying shes faking it. she's not playing any character, this is her, this is how she feels. it's just about whether or not its healthy to share as much as she does. im sorry but that was just not the way to word it.

sophruss I think it's really just the question she posed in this video that bothered me; "do you create because you're mentally ill, or are you mentally ill because you create?". That seemed to imply that mental illness is either a prerequisite for creativity, or that it is the side-effect of creativity, neither if which are positive statements to put out there. I agree that most of what dodie does and says does in her videos and social media doesn't directly promote the idea that mental illness=creativity, and is reflective of her own story and experiences. I do think what they discussed after the question was interesting, and I think that has a grain of truth to it. That people who are self reflective tend to be more depressed, and that creative people are often self reflective. But self reflection doesn't always lead to mental illness and doesn't always lead to art, and not all creativity comes from self reflection.

Nix Stark
1) If you don't include sources in your argument, don't bother reputing scientific studies. If you wish to prove your point, use solid arguments with no logical fallacies or unsourced 'scientific studies'.
2) Your argument in general is severely fallacious in nature, there are lots of blatantly obvious assumptions made about 'people with depression', as though each person experiences depression in the same way, they don't, it would be misleading to say they do. Creativity does not 'increase with negative feedback', technical ability and consideration to detail increases with constructive (and sometimes negative) feedback. Even the term 'negative feedback' is incorrect, constant- as is the case with depression -negative feedback, almost exclusively leads to self destructive and perfectionist tendencies, starkly in contrast to those which are considered creative.
3) Anecdotal evidence such as "I used to have depression... and I ended up creating a lot" proves nor solves anything, as I said in point 1), use scientific studies with sources and a lot more people will respect your point of view.
~Sorry for any grammatical errors, I try my best kek

crybaby ok there is scientific evidence that states 1) mentally ill people are on average a lot more creative than mentally healthy 2) creativity increases with negative feedback- so to draw a conclusion from that mentally ill people who are creative is because they are very negative so they give themselves negative feedback allowing to be more creative. This does not mean mentally healthy people aren't creative but there is evidence to suggest mentally ill people are on average more creative. There is no evidence proving wether creativity causes depression or the other way round but they are linked. I used to have depression and minor anxiety and I ended up creating a lot. So please understand creativity is actually linked with depression.

Mell1501 i do agree that saying that she has to be mentally ill to be creative is a really negative view, and one that can influence her younger viewers, but i feel like in her case, she's kind of saying that she draws most of her inspiration from her experience with mental illness, as it's a large part of her life right now, as opposed to everyone needing to be ill to be creative. at least, that's how i view it. i definitely don't condone people saying their mental illness makes them special or artistic in any way

i think it's very unfair of you to say that she's playing a character. mental illness is real. why would she want to play disturbed artist? why would anyone who knows how difficult and awful mental illness can be want that as their label? people want to be listened to. people want to feel cared about. that's why we write about it. that's why we talk about it. people express themselves in different ways, and we do it the way we feel most comfortable with. sometimes that's an instagram post. i never feel like dodie is romanticising mental illness. it's a taboo subject and it needs to be talked about.

sophruss I agree that accusing dodie of playing a character is incredibly unfair, because I think she's quite clearly talking about her own experiences and life, and I don't think she's purposefully trying to be anything except a (maybe heightened) version of herself. However, I think her implying that you have to be mentally ill to be creative is not a great thing to say. Sure, many artists are mentally ill, but so are plenty of other people. Also, not all artists are mentally ill, and being mentally ill is not a prerequisite for being an artist.

I think it's ok to 'make mental illness into art' although that is an extremely weird way to phrase it (for me). I do agree that she seems to use the "I'm a creative/artistic person that's why I'm depressed" thing though and I don't think it's valid. It also makes other people feel bad because they could be depressed and not be confident enough or wish they could write poetry and sing and take pretty pictures but their depression isn't quite as lucrative. It says, in a way, "look at me, I'm such a beautiful, tortured soul, don't you wish you were like me" even if it's not what she means it comes off like that sometimes. I love Dodie and I think she's a beautiful soul and she's very talented but it comes off like that.

crybaby i don't think she's "playing the disturbed artist" at all. as someone who suffers from mental illness, i find it extremely helpful to write poetry about it when i'm feeling particularly emotional, as it's an excellent outlet. it helps you get these emotions out of you and being able to see them in a nicer light than they are in your head. even just doing this privately helps enormously, and as dodie has the audience available to her, i think she's both reaching out and letting people they aren't alone in this very isolating experience. you saying she's just playing a character to achieve a certain aesthetic is gross. mental illness shouldn't have to be hidden


Is it just me or is Dodie and Hazel really heckin cute?


This sounds slightly strange but have you tried talking to hazel but getting her to sit with her back turned? Sounds odd but I find it helps me because I get the embarrassment / fear or loved ones' reactions, but this way I can vent in the way that you do on Snapchat/Instagram where you don't have to instantly deal with reactions or facial expressions etc, but the loved one still ends up knowing how you are feeling and where your mind is!


hazel is wise. zannah too. dodie you have wonderful people around you, and you are wonderful! please talk to someone instead of speaking everything sooo publicly.


i think that the supposed link between creativity and bad mental health is an unhelpful point to make. whilst many things we make can be inspired by our mental health or the bad parts of our lives, i think that linking creativity so heavily to the bad things i.e. "do they exist because we create or do we create because they exist" is inaccurate. (lol all "feelingsy conversations" are inaccurate but meh). it's an unhelpful 'tortured artist' stereotype that everyone who creates must be damaged; whilst it is good to be vulnerable and share what you feel in an artistic way, to say that creativity and the bad stuff must always be linked is unhelpful to your viewers who may want to create in the future, and probably to you in the long term, since it (phewph im gonna say it) romanticises the bad stuff and makes it somehow necessary for the good creative stuff. which is not always the case. (i understand these comments from you and hazel may have been simply focussing on your own experiences, but they were such general comments i thought I'd say something.)


Just wanted to emphasise a point about what you said about having a creative brain and being depressed. This is romanticising depression. Lots of people in all walks of life experience mental health problems, by suggesting that depression makes you create art it's playing into this sad artist image which is so unhelpful around the conversation of mental health. Being mentally ill doesn't give you secret advantages in life and suggesting that it does is dangerous. Also, there is no such thing as a "creative" brain, I understand you wanna think that you're special and you create ~art~, but everyone is creative in all different ways. Everyone has to pull from within themselves to tackle problems. There is no such thing as creative people and boring 9 to 5 people, lots of people have arty talents they don't explore in life, lots of people have creative ways of handling situations. MAKING ART DOESN'T MAKE YOU MENTALLY ILL. Stop acting like it does. Also you write songs, it's not a rare specialist talent that you owe to the world, it's just marketable. You are marketing yourself and you're mental illness to young people.

Speak for yourself. I don't identify as a creative and there's nothing wrong with having no creativity. I'm a hard science person whose brain can't function when approached with anything that doesn't follow logic. And "marketing mental illness to young people"? You can't influence someone to have mental illness. If someone is having mental illness it's not like they're catching it from someone. Even the "just doing it for attention or to be like one's idol" is a load of garbage; those are cries for help for something that was already underlying and just hadn't come out yet - not something that is created by another person and passed on.


It's kinda nice that that you overshare. I have cried once or twice while watching your snapchat-story. I can relate. Maybe bit less oversharing. It's just not healty


heya Dodie :D omg you seem like someone i wanna hang out with :D


I think the reason I don't talk about my mental health to friends when im feeling low is because i feel like i have no reason to be sad, i have no proof that im ill. I don't know how to explain my anxiety or panic in words. and i don't even know if it's real. I know i should go see a doctor to get diagnosed but i just don't have the resources to do that right now.  When im in a panic I physically cannot make words come out of my mouth. I think a lot of my problem is overthinking. Do i really have an illness or am I just "normal"? well how can I know for sure? I don't know if iv'e ever been "normal" my whole life so how can i tell? sigh


Dodie I like you but you are DEFINITELY over sharing. It's more self pity than education at this point.

its not that she just doesn't get as much out of filming and talking then talking to a person, i mean for me no one cares either way.

That's very straight forward, but I can definitely see where your coming from, she is maybe or maybe not just "ranting" about her problems.. or maybe that was a completely wrong way to word it, but either way this was one of the most truthful comments I've ever seen.


you may be oversharing but if you are i dont mind. Im at the saddest and hardest part of my life right now but hearing you talk about mental health in such a graphic way really makes me feel not alone. I can see why that to others would be kinda rough to listen to. I think ur videos about mental health are not good to watch unless youve experienced what you talk about. If not i think that it could kinda trigger and scare people or maybe even worsen their mental health. maybe you could make side channel for mental health videos or someting lol. but i personally enjoy ur videos about mental health and they help me. sorry if that didnt make sense its late and im crying lol


hazel😍😍dan and phil’s friend😍😍 can we have a dnp/dodie collab???😍😍😍♥


Im about to start anti depressant medication and im scared :( any tips from anyone would really help <3

totally! i've been on meds for depression and anxiety for years, and heres a couple things: *remember it is there to help you, but it isn't a magic pill! depression is like a gigantic rock that is sitting on your chest- medication can help lift the rock up, it can't do it by itself. if you can see a therapist/talk to someone or even just look up and use some healthy coping mechanisms, that will help the process! *Also, give them a fair chance. they don't start working right away, they have to build up in your system. give it a couple weeks. (unless you have a serious side effect, listen to your body and call the doc if that happens) *once you have, you might find that the pills you're taking right now aren't the right ones for you. that's okay! there are tons of medications out there that have helped a lot of people- i had to try a few before I found the right ones.

i am proud of you for going on medication! it really is a wonderful tool and i am excited for it to help you!


Your paragraphs and your snaps make me feel like I'm not alone. They actually make me feel better because at least I know I'm not the only one going through a rough path. I also think that knowing that a person who is such an inspiration to many people is going through the same thing as you is like crazy because you never would've thought that like a "famous person" would ever go through that. Dodie, you help so many people every single day and it's amazing. I don't think you're over sharing too much but in a way, I feel like you're the only person who can answer that.


You probably won't see this but never the less , I make mistakes by putting my mental health stuff online in the brief moments of feeling such ways but I've learned to also write my feelings out in notes on my phone or make poems out of them. And it's like you're texting someone but you're really not and then it just sorta is okay. But don't fret to text a pal or call one I always do that too ❤ I look up to you you're talented amazing and beautiful


I understand why you like to overshare but at the same time you do a great deal of romanticising mental illness and putting influence on to your audience (which the majority is young pre teens who are very easily influenced). making mental illness in to art may be fine for yourself but for such a large number to witness it it can be dangerous because you're directly correlating creativity with mental illness and, even though it might not be intentional, it's almost like it's encouraging your viewers to have this negative state about themselves in order to feel more special or different, which is something I'm sure we all remember wanting as teenagers.


Thinking of making a response video of this for my veda.


I feel bad for saying this, but I stopped following Dodie on instgram because her depression triggers mine. And even here on youtube. I avoid her topics about "mental health" because it's triggering.<br>I wish her and all the people going through depression the best of luck.

I feel bad for saying this, but I stopped following Dodie on instgram because her depression triggers mine. And even here on youtube. I avoid her topics about "mental health" because it's triggering.
I wish her and all the people going through depression the best of luck.


I’m sure all of the truthful comments will be disabled soon...

Don’t mind me. I’m just afraid of everything.


So many of these comments are saying that you overshare. I disagree. Your openness has helped me out so much when I was going through mental stuff this past year... Having access to friends/people on social media who express feeling the same way I do makes me feel a little more okay and normal I guess? I don't know what I would have done if I thought I was the only one going through that. Additionally, being surrounded by people who are sharing their feelings encouraged me to do so as well. Especially when people share the dark feelings - it encouraged me to share mine and I feel less alone now. Sure, there are many people who seem to be bothered by your sharing. But if it helps you, and it helps people like me... don't let people shut you down

but many weren't okay with her unexpected snapchats suddenly talking about about how she's lost the will to live. as hazel and zannah said, it wasn't helping her, and while it helped you, the majority of her fans were harmed and had to distance themselves during this time


"we're a bit mental"<br>she quotes in a psych ward coz shes depressed lol

"we're a bit mental"
she quotes in a psych ward coz shes depressed lol


U talking about ur feelings is harmless, ppl shouldn’t crap on u for venting unless ur criticizing someone else, otherwise u are free to express urself to whoever whenever u want and nobody can take that away from u


ive been looking at the comments and a lot of people are talking about how you made them or somebody they know believe they have a mental illness because they related to your posts and music. to me this raises the question thats asked a lot but never answered: do celebrities or creators have responsibility on what their fans do?. those people dont have to self diagnose themselves. you didnt tell anybody that they had a mental illness so why are you held responsible??
personally i like to talk about my shitty mental health online too and it helps me deal with things and id hate to have that taken away from me just because i had an audience like you do. i wouldnt see that it was my responsibility to make sure people werent self diagnosing themselves. thats the individuals choice and decision. right??
i dont have the answer to any of those questions to be honest but i hope people can understand what im trying to say (its almost 2am and im tired to the point where i suck at talking lmao)


I personally feel professional help is the best way to go. You're posting to an audience of very impressionable teens that feel they need to be sad to be "trendy" and relevant and it can have very damaging effects. While mental health has been put into the spotlight recently as to gain more awareness, the way you and others in influential circumstances do can potentially be very dangerous. Sharing your struggles makes them seem more real, I get that but i feel people need to be more self aware


I do the exact same thing with my spam account on instagram. Every post i make is some kind of thing where im just putting it all there and only letting the people i want to see it, see that part of me. And every time, I hope that they'll just send a message asking if i'm okay and it never happens. i'm always worried that im unintentionally pushing them away but i would always say im fine when it was quite clear that i wasnt. so i think because i keep doing that and pretty much lying cause i dont want them to worry about me, that they've completely giving up on trying to help me.<br>Now i've written all this, i realise that i kinda wrote it for myself. i keep thinking about it and i think that, because i've just written everything down with the intention of it being read by someone i dont know, im more... open about it? i don't know... but, i guess it helps once in a while

I do the exact same thing with my spam account on instagram. Every post i make is some kind of thing where im just putting it all there and only letting the people i want to see it, see that part of me. And every time, I hope that they'll just send a message asking if i'm okay and it never happens. i'm always worried that im unintentionally pushing them away but i would always say im fine when it was quite clear that i wasnt. so i think because i keep doing that and pretty much lying cause i dont want them to worry about me, that they've completely giving up on trying to help me.
Now i've written all this, i realise that i kinda wrote it for myself. i keep thinking about it and i think that, because i've just written everything down with the intention of it being read by someone i dont know, im more... open about it? i don't know... but, i guess it helps once in a while


I think it's hard because when people have really bad mental health, sometimes we do go on social media and say something worrying that we shouldn't and will probably delete later. But for you, you're in the public eye so you can't really escape. You can't express yourself just normally without masses of people seeing it. It helps stigma, but I think as Hazel and others have pointed out it's getting to the point where you've said lots of really intense and worrying things so casually at times as well and you shouldn't be doing that when you have lots of young and impressionable people in your audience. It also means things are really deep and sad and it makes me not want to watch your snapchats or some of your videos too, especially when I'm in a bad place myself. By the way I'm not saying any of this is your fault because it's absolutely not. There's probably no right or wrong way to really handle shit like this. And mental illnesses are mental illnesses... sometimes you're just fucking crazy and you can't help it haha. That's just how it is idk


all i'm saying is that you can't want dodie to only post things on snapchat or youtube or wherever when's she at her best. she's a human being with depression she's going to be sad. if you don't want to see depressed dodie then don't watch her videos about mental health? avoid her snapchats if they make you sad and remind you about your depression? she's still struggling and you can't be angry at her for putting her feelings out there in, what i think, is a healthy non harmful way. give her a break guys


Pale with emotion also luv ur username!😇 (<b>with a fiery passion</b>)

Pale with emotion also luv ur username!😇 (*with a fiery passion*)

Pale with emotion <b>i believe we all are...</b>

Pale with emotion *i believe we all are...*

Panic! on the toilet Dodie just really likes yellow so we named a shade of yellow after her. That's really it. Watch her video "WHAT IS THE TRUE DODIE YELLOW THO?" on her vlog channel. (At least I think that's it lol)

And i still have no idea what that means although i watch her videos

Noodle Paege it was literally a few months ago of course people remember it????


NO keep doing those tweets they make me feel not alone


I can see where Hazel is coming from, I think I'm kinda the same way


I don't know how your audience will take this, but honestly if you're depressed, turn to the Lord! Just as Hazel said, our existence came with struggles and pain(due to sin), but with Jesus we aren't bound by it! I've personally found  that any problem I have ever had I could pray about it and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has answered the prayer. It may not have been what I had in mind, but trusting His will for my life is the best thing anyone can do! He wants us to be happy! I have noticed that in the past few years that you've been posting, you look mentally drained and not your happy self and it's not good to see you that way. If you or any of your audience is going through depression or any hardship, turn to the Lord and try it out. I can guarantee that by doing so and listening to His will you will become a better person and your problems will get better!!! I hope everyone reading this has a very blessed day!


Conveniently over 10 minutes long. You don't need to overshare this.


I feel the same as u dodie....idk i dont trust my brain


watching your snaps i honestly always finish them just feeling horrible about myself. my mood always instantly drops and it feels like every time i feel better mentally you don't and feel the need to rant about your feelings which in turn i guess triggers my own emotions ??? i do understand how people can feel like mental illness is becoming your brand because it seems like that is all you can talk about, so much so that i don't find much enjoyment in watching your content anymore. i recently unfollowed you on both twitter and instagram especially because i couldn't deal with your long poetic essays about how you're feeling accompanied by cute aesthetic pictures. you are completely valid in your feelings of course but understand that it can a lot of the times be damaging to others mental health. i really recommend that you take time off social media to help clear your mind and just take time for yourself and loved ones. i understand that what you do can help people so if you absolutely feel the need to share please maybe just add a trigger warning before you start snapping or just above your ig captions. much love xx


I don't watch your snapchat all the time but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it immensely.


personally, i really enjoy your snapchats, but looking back, it really does mess with me. i am not mentally ill, but it makes me feel like i am. does this make sense?


Can someone explain how Dodie would be romanticizing mental health? Not trying to hate, just confused. Thanks.

Molly a lot of the problem is that younger people seem to WANT a mental illness, almost romanticising it, as though it makes you interesting and unique and cool. So many teens self-diagnose and go around saying/insisting they have BPD or depression or anxiety as if it's cute or sweet, as if sadness is romantic and beautiful. It's so incredibly toxic. Like, find me a single person on tumblr that doesn't say they have depression and anxiety.

I think kids need to be told by those they look up to that they can't give themselves a diagnosis, that they need to see a doctor and find out about what's going on from a professional rather than deciding "I get sad sometimes and I worry so I have depression and anxiety". Mental illness isn't cool or fun or cute or romantic. It's fucking HORRIBLE, and not something people should want.

They need to realise that they're just moulding themselves to fit a diagnosis and not continue to insist that they're mentally ill. It's very frustrating to see kids do that.

this. all of this. and referring to her 'broken brain' or 'interesting brain' is just such strange choices of adjectives to me. I'm a big fan of dodie's work but it does seem like she wants to be this tortured artist, i mean saying thinks like "are we depressed because we create or create because we're depressed" ?

Molly I feel like her snapchat stories are much less 'romanticised' though, they're always just straight to the point and not very poetic and they also give an insight into what it actually feels like because dodie isn't wearing makeup or anything. Idk, they seem very real to me

Katrina Marek YES!! This is exactly how i feel when i've been lying in bed all day because i havent even been able to stand or eat or help myself and i see her posts with this beautiful aesthetic where she looks so wonderful and is often out with friends having an amazing time it makes me feel worse and worse

It is very easy for young audiences that idolize such content creators to romanticise illnesses especially when the content creators themselves are seemingly inseparable from the illnesses.

Especially when these captions are accompanied by beautifully styled pictures, poetic passages, and poses that make her look pretty, yet vulnerable. Constantly associating beauty with pain and suffering to a large audience is a dangerous thing to do, especially when many may be impressionable because they don't know any better or they sympathize with Dodie

Molly writing v long melo-dramatic, dear diary, woe-is-me style insta captions. Ik it's very hard to get your head around, because she never implies that mental illness is enjoyable, but I'd almost prefer it if she just put. 'Mental illness is shit I hate it'

If that makes sense

She feels like she's playing a "disturbed artist" character


Oh dear.. come on guys, you're still adults. Romanticizing mental health, insinuating that poor mental health is what makes you an "artist", and excusing putting out very damaging ideals to the masses really needs to stop.  It's beautiful that you can be open and honest about your struggles but if you're not dealing with these things in a healthy way and promoting recovery then you're just using this platform to keep yourself afloat, which is not really okay from a person in power.. I really hope you take a lot of this feedback on board, and that you take care of yourselves because that's all anyone wants for you.


I just wanted to say it isn't any easier having physical health issues. You're talking about short-term physical problems like a cold, or a broken leg. But long-term physical health issues are just as hard to navigate as mental health issues. I find often people with mental health issues make statements like people take physical health issues seriously, and honestly?  Nope. I am disabled with a fairly severe condition, and people constantly forget I'm in agonising pain every day and have sever fatigue because I don't mention it every two minutes. I'm a wheelchair user, and use a stick to get about so you would think it would remind people, but doesn't. Pain is invisible whether it's physical or mental, and just as huge a balance to know how to tell other people when your having a bad day, or if something is too much. People also judge you if you do say no - oh,  but you could do that yesterday, are you lying?  If you just tried harder. Maybe you're just lazy. If you wanted to get better you would try this treatment I just read about. It is constant.

As someone with both physical and mental health issues, I think we should work together in awareness, not make statements about the other that aren't true.

I realise no one meant any harm in the video by the way, I just wanted to address the point!


talking about empty calories while i sit eating empty calories to watch the video made me like "awh shiat"


this reminds me of a lower point when I posted a drawing a me in a noose and I  got yelled at and put under suicide watch.