Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This chapter focuses on twenty-first century young adult (YA) novels featuring characters with mental illness(es) such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and/or substance use. The chapter analyzes how and why YA characters use digital media/social platforms to explore, communicate, and/or identify resources related to mental illness. The authors we analyzed write protagonists’ behaviors and experiences with mental illness authentically and in a method that aligns with the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Characters examined use digital media/social platforms to doomscroll, present identities, disclose how others perceive one’s identities, connect to and/or sabotage others, and receive support. Textual analysis revealed that despite teens’ (and their YA counterparts’) technological proficiency, they do not seek online resources and social media to solve all their problems, self-diagnose mental illnesses, or seek options for treatment. They use internet searches to gather or corroborate information or to interact in social media settings.</jats:p>