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Fan cultures emerge from communities of shared interests, such as those related to televisionseries, novels, video games, and other hobbies. The internet has expanded the popularity andaccessibility of fan cultures, with implications for mental health that remain underexploredwithin cultural psychiatry. This paper ponders how the recognition of fan cultures in culturalpsychiatry may contribute to improving mental health care for members of fan communities.Drawing from media psychology and fan studies, we provide a narrative review of thepsychological and social affordances of fan cultures. Taking the furry culture as a case study, wediscuss how identity, technology, stigma, and community interface with fan culture and mentalhealth. Then, we critically appraise the extent to which the Cultural Formulation Interview, aconventional method of cultural psychiatry, allows the mental health ramifications of fancultures to be recognized in clinical practice.
Paquin et al. (Sun,) studied this question.