Brief Oral Papers

Education & Career Development

Brief Oral Papers Session 02 - Training, Education, Mentorship, and Career Development

Dying for Likes – The Dark Side of Social Media Use in Transplant Medicine: A Case Report and Literature Review

Friday, November 8, 2024

11:05 AM – 12:20 PM EST

Location: Monroe

Presenting Author(s)

Rebekah M. Dietrich, DO (she/her/hers)

PGY-3 Psychiatry Resident
Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
Cherry Hill, New Jersey

PDF

Co-Author(s)

Timothy L. Wong, DO

Director of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Associate Program Director of Residency Training
Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Background:

Social media can aid in the transplant process by raising awareness, increasing donors, providing education, and providing support for patients throughout the transplant process (Chang, 2014). However, social media can also lead to poor mental health, addiction, and even death in certain cases (Primack, 2017). To date, no research has been found discussing the detrimental effects social media may have on transplant patients, specifically those with underlying risk factors, such as anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder. This case report discusses how social media contributed to kidney rejection in an African American female patient with underlying psychiatric conditions.

Case Report:

The patient is a 41-year-old African American female with past medical history of ESRD requiring renal transplant, anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder who did not continue with outpatient transplant care for 3 years and did not take immunosuppressive medications for 3 months. Upon presentation to the hospital, the patient was found to have graft failure and once again require hemodialysis.

Throughout her hospital stay, the patient discussed her heavy reliance on social media as a support system while undergoing the transplant process. However, after the transplant was performed and she was medically stable, she was distressed over losing this source of support, as her social media followers were no longer actively participating on her support pages, including her Facebook Lives. The patient further admitted that, while being hospitalized, she was pleased that her followers have returned once more.

Discussion:

Based on literature review, social media can aid in the transplant process in a variety of ways. However, possible dangers of social media for transplant patients have not been explored, particularly those with comorbid underlying mental health conditions. As seen in this case, the need for attention and support on social media likely contributed to this patient not continuing with outpatient care or medications and thus losing the function of her kidney.

With this in consideration, screening for harmful use of social media during the transplant process as well as providing education on social media use may benefit the transplant population. Consultation - Liaison psychiatrists, along with the other interdisciplinary members of the transplant team, can provide this screening, support, and education in this unique patient population.

Conclusion:

Social media has been shown to have a positive effect on the transplant process, including increased awareness and patient support. However, the detrimental effects of social media use on transplant patients cannot be overlooked. As this case report shows, further research, screening, and education of uses of social media is needed in the transplant population.