The role of digital media in raising awareness of mental health issues among the Egyptian public: an analytical and field study in light of mental health measures

Health media is one of the most prominent types of specialized media; it plays a major role in raising awareness of a healthy life and behaviors that make the individual live a lifestyle in which he enjoys wellness and safety, which plays a role in the stability of society. Mental health is an important issue for the individual and society; the psychological state is the main Motivational of human activity,  the individual suffers from sadness and depression, he will not be able to work and produce, and relationships between individuals will become dominated by incompatibility; mental health is what makes the individual compatible with himself, his environment, his work, and all the components of his life; hence came the idea of ​​this research, which sought to measure the role of digital media in spreading awareness of mental health through an analytical and field study, while benefiting from the mental health standards that have been adapted in the field of media. This study was applied to the website of Taibbik – Elkhas affiliated with Dar Al Hilal Foundation, as it is one of the  most prominent specialized medical websites in Egypt. The Facebook page of Raha Nafsiyya was also analyzed, with the aim of monitoring the most prominent topics raised by these two websites in relation to mental health, and the extent of the two websites’ interest in providing solutions for personality disorders and various mental illnesses, and the reflection of this on raising awareness of mental health among the Egyptian public. A diverse sample in terms of demographic characteristics was drawn from the Egyptian public, amounting to 301 respondents, to measure their level of awareness of the issue of mental health and various mental illnesses, and to measure their attitudes towards the medical and psychological media content presented through media channels and outlets, and their suggestions for improving the quality of this content.This study reached several results, the most prominent of which is that the website of Taibbik – Elkhas and The Facebook page of Raha Nafsiyya focused on a number of topics and issues related to mental health issues; by explaining the symptoms of a number of mental illnesses and disorders, the most prominent of which were depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks, schizophrenia, and social phobia, in addition to explaining some mental disorders that appear in childhood such as autism, and children lying and deliberately concealing the truth. It was also proven that there is a statistically significant correlation between the Egyptian public's use of digital media and their level of awareness of mental health issues; as it was proven that the level of awareness increases according to the increase in the rates of the public's use of digital media; that is, the more the public uses these media, the higher their level of awareness of mental health issues.