" One of the pros is that a lot of the stigma, particularly in the mental health space, has been addressed.
“I do feel like people are more likely to come in and go, ‘I’m not feeling like myself, I do have really down days, I have had these thoughts’. And often it’s because they’ve seen someone share their story on social media.”
But she feels that it has also allowed “unqualified influencers” to access the health space detrimentally.
“It does mean that if people are sharing inaccurate health stuff, it can spread quite widely and do a lot of damage, and we’ve seen that particularly in the vaccination space with, for instance, measles in the United States and that’s very complicated.
“But you do have people fuelling misinformation and generating fear, confusion, anxiety, and it’s very hard once the seed is planted to take someone back.”
Alexander said doctors are bound by guidelines, medical boards and oversight administrations, with strict rules on what they can and can’t do.
The same rules don’t apply to people without medical degrees and licences sharing things online.
“So they can just tell you all sorts of stuff about avocado curing cancer. This is the stuff I’ve seen – complete myths with no evidence and there’s no repercussions.”
Netflix’s recent miniseries, Apple Cider Vinegar, told the story of Belle Gibson, who claimed to have cured brain cancer through alternative treatments. She was eventually fined for spreading misinformation.
Alexander said that people talk about her as though she is a one-off story, but it is more common than people think. The difficulty she encounters is that you can’t rebuff people without platforming them and their views, which allows the misinformation to spread.
Another consequence of the rise of social media is people sharing bad experiences as fact, which Alexander has seen in discussion around contraceptives.
“What drives me slightly bananas is that on social media, people will go in and go, ‘Hey, I had this, it was terrible and I had heavy vaginal bleeding, no one should have it’.
“Well, hey, that’s your experience. I’ve got 10 patients who’ve had a wonderful experience with it. And I think we need to be so careful with how we digest that kind of information on social media.”
She urged people to make sure they follow people with credentials, and who aren’t trying to sell them anything.
Listen to the full episode of The Little Things for more advice from Dr Preeya Alexander, including a broader discussion about what women need to know from their GPs.
The Little Things is available on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. The series is hosted by broadcaster Francesca Rudkin and health researcher Louise Ayrey. New episodes are available every Saturday.
