DISTORTION AND RECOVERY IN MENTAL HEALTH TALK: A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF NIGERIAN ONLINE PODCAST
Keywords:
Podcast, Discourse analysis, depression and anxiety, Cognitive restructuring,, Cognitive distortionAbstract
This study analyses the linguistic expression of cognitive distortions and cognitive restructuring in Nigerian online mental health talk. The study hinges on the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy theory (CBT) and is analysed through discourse analysis. The research is influenced by the rising prevalence of depression and anxiety in Nigeria, where stigma many a times silence open discussions about mental health issues. Thus digital medium like podcasts have now emerged as alternatives spots where individuals talk about mental health struggles. Studied have shown that while CBT has traditionally been applied in clinical contexts to address issues around depression and anxiety, little research have examined how the principles of CBT is used in everyday language. To address this gap, this research examine a Nigerian online podcast narrative about depression and anxiety. It adopts a qualitative research design that employs thematic coding to identify instances of cognitive distortions and restructuring. The analysis identifies major cognitive distortions such as catastrophising, personalisation, overgeneralisation, and blaming. These cognitions are marked through absolutist language use and evaluative expressions. In addition, the analysis further points out processes of cognitive restructuring, in which the narrator reexamine their experiences, challenge negative self-beliefs, and adopt more balanced perspectives in their journey towards recovery. The findings of the study reveal how discourse not only reflects human psychological states but also contributes to how these emotive states are controlled Further, it agrees that podcasts may function as an informal therapeutic space where people are able to externalise mental health distress, negotiate meaning, and engage in self-reflection through story telling. On this account, through clinical psychology and discourse studies, the research promotes understanding of mental health discourse in Nigerian digital spaces and promotes the ever changing role of language in today’s world.
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