This World Mental Health Day, we’re celebrating the women speaking up about life with a mental illness. These influencers are changing the conversation with their inspirational accounts.
Living with mental health issues can be an isolating experience. For anyone struggling alone, social media can be a great resource to connect with others, see day-to-day depictions of mental illness or find a positive community.
These Instagram influencers are all changing the conversation around mental health. Whether challenging stigmas, educating their followers about the complexities of their condition or simply providing a message of hope, these are the mental health advocates to add to your feed today.
Claire Eastham, 23.2k followers
Follow for: a better understanding of social anxiety and panic attacks
Mental health blogger and campaigner Claire Eastham uses her Instagram account to share her experiences of dealing with social anxiety and panic attacks. Having had two mental breakdowns in the past, Claire’s posts detail how she manages the highs and lows of her mental health journey. Her self-deprecating humour has endeared her to thousands of followers, and she has talked about her life with anxiety as the author of two books, We’re All Mad Here and F**K I Think I’m Dying.
Chinae Alexander, 157k followers
Follow for: a boost of wellness and positivity
Sometimes sparking positivity can give our mental health a boost. That’s the premise behind Chinae Alexander’s page. The wellness expert aims to empower her followers through positive thinking and self-love, regularly posting on body confidence, insecurities and damaging societal expectations on women. She also hosts a podcast called PRESS SEND, which aims to provide candid advice on lifestyle issues that impact women.
Elyse Fox, 33.4k followers
Follow for: finding a community and resources about mental health
Elyse Fox is a mental health advocate and founder of the Sad Girls Club, an Instagram account which boasts almost 300,000 followers. The feed is a great place to find mental health content and resources, particularly for women of colour, while Elyse shares her personal experiences of depression, motherhood and her mission to create safe spaces to talk about mental health on her own account.
Kelsey Brianne Larson, 3.8k followers
Follow for: guidance on normalising the discussion around mental health
Four years after attempting to take her own life, Kelsey Brianne Larson uses her account to give hope to others struggling with depression. She advocates normalising taking medication for mental health, alongside therapy and asking for help, and regularly shares updates on how her life has changed since her lowest point.
Dr Ebony Butler, 20.6k followers
Follow for: understanding mental health issues that impact marginalised communities
For advice from an expert, Dr Ebony Butler is a licensed psychologist focusing on issues that impact minority women. Her specialisms include trauma and food relationship strategy, and her Instagram feed is full of succinct advice on topics including ways to talk to your non-Black therapist about racial trauma, what anxiety and stress look like in your body and ways to address your relationship with food without restrictive eating. Dr Ebony also recently launched a deck of therapy cards for women of colour, aiming to help her followers practice self-care and self-discovery using expert-approved techniques.
Bipolar Barbie, 81.9k followers
Follow for: understanding bipolar disorder
Going by the name Bipolar Barbie, this mental health advocate frankly discusses her experience of living with bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. On her page she discusses the complexities of handling a range of conditions, documenting experiences that will be relatable to followers struggling with mental health issues including tackling fatigue, using exercise to manage mood swings and coming to terms with a diagnosis.
Mariel Buque, 119k followers
Follow for: a holistic approach to mental health
Therapist and psychology PhD Mariel Buque’s Instagram takes a spiritual focus, using techniques from holistic healing to approach patterns of overthinking, living in survival mode, and processing grief, amongst many other topics. Her primary expertise is in intergenerational trauma, and she conducts mental health and anti-racism workshops as well as advocating for culturally responsive care.
Hannah Daisy, 171k followers
Follow for: motivation in practising self-care
Hannah Daisy is an artist and mental health advocate whose colourful illustrations focus on everyday acts of self-care. She creates beautiful posts using the hashtag #boringselfcare to celebrate simple successes that people struggling with their mental health might find challenging, such as taking medication or preparing a nourishing meal. Hannah also regularly posts about how mental health specifically impacts the LGTQAI+ community, covering topics such as trans rights and living outside of gender binaries.
Esmé Weijun Wang, 15.5k followers
Follow for: an honest depiction of schizoaffective disorder
Esmé Weijun Wang is a novelist whose Instagram posts are accompanied by thoughtful and beautifully written captions, often based around her experiences of living with both chronic illness and schizoaffective disorder. She has published a book of essays, The Collected Schizophrenias, that grapples with subjects such as disagreements about diagnosing the condition, and using fashion to present as high-functioning.
Jennifer Rollin, 97.9k followers
Follow for: gaining more understanding of eating disorders
Therapist Jennifer Rollin is founder of The Eating Disorder Center. Having recovered from an eating disorder herself, she now shares light-hearted quotes and information-bites on her Instagram urging against diet culture and offering encouragement to anyone struggling with their relationship with food. Although she specialises in working with adolescents, her social media feed is a reminder to women of all ages of the mental component of eating disorders, and encourages body acceptance.