Dr. K criticized by Psychology Today article read out on mrgirl's stream

Towards the end of mrgirl's most recent stream on July 7, he read an article published in Psychology Today that was written by psychologist Dr. David Ley. The article, titled "2 Things Most Therapists Do but Shouldn't," used Dr. K as an example of what not to do.

While the topic he was mentioned under was "giving professional advice or wisdom to friends and family members," the broader topic of David Ley's article better fit the theme of not offering a professional opinion in an informal setting, which would include Dr. K's Twitch stream and YouTube videos.

Part of the article that mrgirl read aloud said this about Dr. K:

"Though he is adamant that his interactions are not therapy, his interviews are extremely clinical and involve him discussing emotional and psychological needs, as well as potential diagnoses."

Dr. Alok Kanojia, also known as Dr. K, has received plenty of criticism during his time on Twitch. The professional psychiatrist and Twitch streamer regularly streams the conversations he has with gamers and fellow streamers about mental health. Critics argue that his content positions itself as a replacement for therapy and mental health treatment and may cause viewers to not seek out treatment.

Dr. K criticized by Psychology Today article for his interactions with streamers

The Healthy Gamer founder is well known for his mental health-focused content and has interviewed numerous large streamers to discuss their mental health. This includes streamers like Asmongold, Mizkif, Pokimane, and xQc. He also speaks with viewers who consent to being interviewed on his streams.

While he has many viewers and a wide reach on Twitch thanks to his various collaborations with other content creators, he also has many people in the field of psychology who argue that his streams might be regarded as a replacement for traditional therapy and clinical treatment. That is exactly what psychologist Dr. David Ley indicated in his recently published article on Psychology Today.

While acknowledging that Dr. K doesn't claim his streams to be an official form of therapy, he noted that the "extremely clinical" discussions as well as making potential diagnoses tell a different story.

Though not by name, Dr. Ley does bring up the Texas-based psychiatrist's relationship with Reckful. The Twitch streamer appeared numerous times on Dr. K's stream where he discussed his battle with depression as well as bipolar disorder. Two years after his initial meeting and relationship with Kanojia, Reckful committed suicide.

Dr. Ley argued that while the Texas-based psychiatrist's streams could do good in the form of destigmatizing mental illness and pushing people into seeking therapy, it could also cause great harm if people take his streams and content as a substitute for treatment. Dr. Ley had this to say about how people might perceive Dr. K's content the wrong way:

"Unfortunately, this may also lead to people thinking that they have received mental health treatment and that they don’t need to see a real therapist or seek clinical treatment..."

YouTuber mrgirl read the article towards the end of his latest stream. In February, he'd uploaded an hour-long documentary to his YouTube channel, detailing Dr. K's relationship with Reckful and criticizing what he saw as mismanagement of Reckful's case.