gonna have to second the responses of both bunny and jungler. i think rp, like any hobby / interest / passion / w/e else, and how fundamentally healthy/unhealthy it is dependent on the person themselves and how they engage with the medium.

adding on to what was said, and probably a bit more controversial as a take, idk — i’ve had a Talk(TM) with an rp friend a few weeks ago about rp and rp drama, and eventually drew the conclusion that, to quote what i told them “i think rpc just generally has a mixed bag of ppl since its a collaborative social narrative and that leads to some ppl learning to improve their emotional regulation + self-esteem + general confidence and others,,,, not so much that it rlly just goes one way or another for ppl”. it’s the internet. it’s bound to have a collection of people from different walks of life who will use the medium, take to the medium, or respond to the medium (and, conversely, the communities within the medium) differently—some in healthy ways, others in not so healthy ways.

more eloquently, i think all the major skills that require rp to be, like, functional as a collaborative social narrative rely on a) communication, b) self-confidence/self-assurance, c) boundary setting, d) not taking things too personally, e) taking accountability, f) the ability to follow through, j) adaptability, and k) healthy confrontation — and sometimes, people will learn these skills and apply it to their experiences, while sometimes, people can also Break(TM) under this. its rlly dependent on the person, and how people choose to respond / react / act as a result will vastly impact their experiences + whether or not rp will be a healthy medium for them.