Not suicidal, just don’t want to live : A critical discourse analysis of the discursive construction of depression and suicidal ideation in the mental health community on Reddit

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dc.contributor.advisorMongie, Lauren Dangeren_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorBrookes, Heather Jean
dc.contributor.authorShirley, Reneeen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.en_ZA
dc.date2023-02-22T08:33:29Z
dc.date2023-08-30T13:08:27Z
dc.date2023-02-22T08:33:29Z
dc.date2023-08-30T13:08:27Z
dc.date2023-02-22
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-31T09:18:40Z
dc.date.accessioned2023-02-22T08:33:29Z
dc.date.available2023-08-31T09:18:40Z
dc.date.available2023-02-22T08:33:29Z
dc.date.issued2023-03
dc.descriptionThesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH SUMMARY : This research study investigated the discursive (re)construction of experiences of depression and suicidal ideation on the online social networking (OSN) platform Reddit from 2021-2022 through a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) lens. The study aimed to aid contemporary understandings of the ways in which depression and suicidal ideation is currently being (re)constructed online in order to gain insights into the ways in which people describe their lived experiences of mental illnesses on anonymous OSN platforms such as Reddit. Another primary aim of the study was to make a meaningful contribution to the field of CDA by surpassing the conventional focus on discourse produced by power elites in order to enforce their dominance against oppressed and marginalised communities and increase our insight into the different ways that experiences of depression and suicidal ideation are articulated and discursively (re)constructed when all audience members have the same opportunities to participate in the discourse. In order to explore this topic, this study addressed the following research questions: (i) How are depression and suicidal ideation discursively (re)constructed on a Reddit forum that topicalises depression and suicidal ideation?; (ii) Which themes occur most commonly in online discussions of depression and suicidal ideation?; (iii) Which discursive devices are used to (re)construct the themes of depression and suicidal ideation?; and (iv) What are the attitudes and ideologies surrounding depression and suicidal ideation on a specific forum on Reddit called r/ epression? To answer the listed research questions, the data collected for this study were analysed within the paradigm of CDA using van Dijk’s (1991, 1993, 1995a,b,c, 1998a, 2001, 2006) socio-cognitive approach to CDA, Baker’s (2006) Corpus-Assisted Discourse Analysis, Braun and Clarke’s (2006, 2019) Thematic Analysis, and Labov’s (1997, 2006) approach to Narrative Analysis. The findings of this research study revealed that the posts on r/depression were largely focused on five main themes, namely (i) Experiential depressive symptoms, (ii) Suicidal ideation, (iii) Solutions to depression and suicidal ideation, (iv) Causes of depression, and (v) Reasons they do/won’t want to die. The content of these themes suggests that discourses on the subreddit r/depression express negative attitudes towards depression, with users frequently (re)constructing depression as a negative personified entity that controls their lives; whereas, in contrast, representations of suicidal ideation are generally (re)constructed in a positive way in the sense that it is frequently described as a hypothetical thought exercise that people use as a coping strategy, rather than making actual plans to complete suicide. Finally, the study found that there was a significant amount of self-stigmatisation in the posts in which authors othered themselves by expressing negative sentiments about themselves and their experiences with depression. This finding contradicts van Dijk’s (2011: 396) prediction that discourse always constructs members of the ingroup in positive ways.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Hierdie navorsingstudie het die diskursiewe (her)konstruksie van ervarings van depressie en selfmoord-idealisering op die aanlyn sosiale netwerk (ASN) platform Reddit vanaf 2021-2022 ondersoek vanuit ’n Kritiese Diskoersanalise- (KDA)-oogpunt. Die studie het beoog om by te dra tot kontemporêre begrippe rondom die maniere waarin depressie en selfmoord-idealisering tans aanlyn (her)konstrueer word ten einde insig te verkry rondom die maniere waarop mense hul ervarings van geestesongesondheid op anonieme ASN platforms soos Reddit deel. ’n Tweede primêre doelwit van die studie was om ’n betekenisvolle bydrae te maak tot die KDAveld deur die konvensionele fokus op diskoers wat geproduseer word deur magselites ten einde hul dominansie teen die onderdruktes en gemarginaliseerde gemeenskappe af te dwing, te oortref en ons insigte te verhoog rondom die verskillende maniere wat ervarings van depressie en selfmoord-idealisering geartikuleer en diskursief (her)konstrueer word wanneer al die lede van die groep dieselfde geleenthede het om deel te neem aan die diskoers. Ten einde hierdie onderwerp te ondersoek, het die studie die volgende navorsingsvrae aangespreek: (i) Hoe word depressie en selfmoord-idealisering diskursief (her)konstrueer op ’n Reddit-forum wat fokus op depressie en selfmoord-idealisering?; (ii) Watter temas kom die meeste voor in aanlyn gesprekke rondom depressie en selfmoord-idealisering?; (iii) Watter diskursiewe toestelle word gebruik om die temas van depressie en selfmoord-idealisering te (her)konstrueer?; en (iv) Wat is die houdings en ideologieë rondom depressie en selfmoordidealisering op ’n spesifieke forum op Reddit genaamd r/depression? Ten einde die bostaande vrae te beantwoord, is die data wat vir hierdie studie ingesamel is, analiseer binne die paradigma van KDA deur gebruik te maak van Dijk (1991, 1993, 1995a,b,c, 1998a, 2001, 2006) se sosio-kognitiewe benadering tot KDA, Baker (2006) se Korpus-ondersteunde Diskoersanalise, Braun en Clarke (2006, 2019) se Tematiese Analise, en Labov (1997, 2006) se benadering tot Narratiewe Analise. Die bevindinge van hierdie navorsingstudie het getoon dat die plasings op r/depression grotendeels gefokus het op vyf hooftemas, naamlik (i) Eksperisensiële depressie simptome, (ii) Selfmoord-idealisering, (iii) Oplossings vir depressie en selfmoord-idealisering, (iv) Oorsake van depressie, en (v) Redes waarom hulle wil / nie wil doodgaan nie. Die inhoud van hierdie temas stel voor dat diskoerse op die subreddit r/depression negatiewe houdings teenoor depressie uitspreek, met gebruikers wat depressie gereeld (her)konstrueer as ’n negatief-gepersonifiseerde entiteit wat hul lewens beheer; in teenstelling hiermee word verteenwoordigings van selfmoord-idealisering tipies her(konstrueer) op ’n positiewe manier in die sin dat dit gereeld beskryf word as ’n hipotetiese gedagte-oefening wat mense gebruik as ’n streshanteringstrategie, eerder as om werklike planne te beraam om selfmoord te voltooi. Laastens het die studie bevind dat daar ’n beduidende hoeveelheid self-stigmatisering in die plasings voorkom, waarin die skrywers hulself other deur negatiewe sentimente oor hulself en hul ervarings met depressie uit te spreek. Hierdie bevindinge kontrasteer met van Dijk (2011: 396) se voorspelling dat diskoers altyd ingroep-lede in positiewe maniere konstrueer.af_ZA
dc.description.versionMastersen_ZA
dc.embargo.terms2023-09-05
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.format.extentxvi, 228 pages : illustrationsen_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttps://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/128420
dc.language.isoen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subjectSuicidal ideationen_ZA
dc.subjectReddit (Firm)en_ZA
dc.subject.lcshCritical discourse analysisen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshDepression, Mental -- Social aspectsen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshSuicide -- Sociological aspectsen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshSocial media -- Influenceen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshInternet -- Social aspectsen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshThought and thinkingen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshStigma (Social psychology)en_ZA
dc.subject.nameUCTD
dc.subject.otherSelf-stigmatisationen_ZA
dc.titleNot suicidal, just don’t want to live : A critical discourse analysis of the discursive construction of depression and suicidal ideation in the mental health community on Redditen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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