CodeMiko, a Twitch streamer and VTuber, recently opened up about the effect of her three previous bans on her mental health. According to the streamer, she has developed PTSD from the experience that seems to be affecting her daily life. Although post-traumatic stress disorder is often used in inaccurate ways that trivialize those people that actually struggle with it, fellow streamer Dr. K thinks that she may actually be onto something. CodeMiko goes on to explain the issues that she has been having as a result of her bans, and Dr. K has some input as well.
For those that may not be familiar with CodeMiko, she is best known for using a virtual avatar when on Twitch. Despite this, she appeared in person in order to talk with Dr. K rather than showing her VTuber persona. CodeMiko was recently banned on January 19th, making this her third ban in the last five months. Before this, she received two short bans during September of 2020.
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During the stream with Dr. K, CodeMiko explains that she sometimes has nightmares about her Twitch bans. She goes on to explain her most recent dream, in which she accidentally showed a pizza flyer with the owner's contact information on it. As a result, she received yet another ban in her dream. CodeMiko explains that she was very upset about this in her dream, and it seems obvious that the memory has stuck with her. In response, Dr. K actually recommends that she see a mental health specialist and consider getting evaluated.
Watch CodeMiko and Dr. K's Twitch stream here.
Though it's easy to dismiss this type of claim due to the somewhat bizarre nature of it, Dr. K explains that nightmares and hyper vigilance are both tells that someone might be suffering from PTSD. It's also important to remember that Twitch is a career for CodeMiko, so although viewers may just watch her for fun, it's entirely possible that her livelihood depends on the platform, something that would serve to add an extra layer of anxiety to the whole situation.
On top of all of this, the discussion highlights some issues that many people have with the streaming platform. Twitch is notorious for handing out bans in ways that seem biased or unfair from the outside, and it generally doesn't explain the reason for a ban either. Just in the last year, Twitch handed out an unexpected ban to Dr. Disrespect while Alinity chose to ban herself after stating that her punishment was not severe enough for unintentional nudity.