If you’re anywhere on TikTok, you’re bound to be aware of the fake Institute of Mental Health (IMH) doctor saga.
And it has since escalated—someone has made a police report about the fake IMH doctors.
Real Doctor Makes Police Report About Fake IMH Doctors on TikTok
If you didn’t know about the fake IMH doctor saga, fret not. Goody Feed’s here to give you a much-needed TLDR.
TikTok users have been impersonating IMH doctors and leaving comments on various TikTok videos, insinuating that those featured in these videos are a little sot.
These fake IMH doctors usually have pictures of doctors, whether real doctors or stock photo doctors, as their profile photos. The accounts’ names typically follow the format “Dr XX from IMH”.
These comments, while funny to some at first, have since been put on trial in the court of public opinion, given how the comments trivialise the contentious issue of mental health.
You can watch this video to find out more about the saga:
Someone has finally made a police report about these fake IMH doctors’ comments—and the person who lodged the report is a real doctor.
As it turns out, the real doctor is one Dr Chen Weihao, a specialist in gastroenterology and hepatology. You might spot Dr Chen at several medical centres in Singapore—Farrer Park Medical Centre, Mount Elizabeth Orchard Medical Centre, or Parkway East Medical Centre.
But, one place you won’t see him is at the IMH. That’s why it took him by surprise when a friend of his wife, in July, discovered that his photo was being used by an account claiming to be an IMH doctor.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, Dr Chen reported this fake IMH doctor’s account and the unauthorised use of his photo to TikTok via email.
He didn’t follow up on the report lodged to TikTok until recently, when those around him brought to his attention that another two fake IMH doctors were using his photo on their TikTok accounts, one of which had over 100 followers.
And these accounts were doing what the other fake TikTok IMH doctors were doing—leaving unsavoury comments trivialising mental health.
Suay lah.
On Thursday (21 September), Dr Chen lodged a police report about these fake IMH doctors.
The police have since confirmed that a report has been lodged.
“These accounts disrespect our doctors, but more importantly, the discussions they have stirred have taken away from the challenges faced by individuals dealing with mental health issues,” a spokesperson for IMH shared.
But the trivialisation of mental health isn’t the only problem when it comes to the fake IMH doctor saga.
Given that the fake IMH doctors’ TikTok accounts are using photos of accredited medical professionals, this makes their comments a little more credible, even if they shouldn’t. It thus appears that there is the potential for these accounts to scam or provide inappropriate medical advice to innocent TikTok users.
So, here’s one thing to note if you see such comments on TikTok: do not take the comments seriously. If you require medical advice, seek assistance from a healthcare professional, not an “IMH doctor” on TikTok.
You may visit IMH’s official site, Facebook page, Instagram account, or LinkedIn account to learn more about the medical services rendered by IMH.