A Comprehensive Study on the Role of Mental Health Advocates on Instagram and Their Effects on User Engagement

This paper examines the role of mental health advocates on Instagram, focusing on how professional status and content type impact engagement. It analyzes a large sample of posts created by licensed professionals (e.g., psychologists) and unlicensed influencers (e.g., wellness coaches, advocates), including branded and non-branded content. Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Top2Vec Topic Modelling, the study identifies key mental health-related themes and examines which terms and topics are more frequently linked to higher engagement metrics like likes and comments. The analysis reveals differences in engagement patterns based on advocate credentials and whether content is commercially affiliated. Terms related to anxiety, depression, and trauma are more prominent among high-engagement content. Licensed professionals emphasize clinical support, while unlicensed influencers frequently use motivational or emotionally resonant language. These findings offer insights for mental health communicators, brands, and platform designers aiming to foster more credible and engaging mental health discourse on social media.