Depressed? Blame it on social media

[Night_Hawk]

Depressed? Blame it on social media
By IANS
Published: March 24, 2016

The more time young adults spend on social media, the more likely they are to be depressed. PHOTO: DNAINDIA



NEW YORK: Are you the one who is always clicking new selfies to be posted on Instagram or who updates the tiniest details of life on Facebook? Chances are that you are probably depressed.


According to a new study, the more time young adults spend on social media, the more likely they are to be depressed.
Spending more time on social media may increase the risk of exposure to cyber-bullying or other similar negative interactions, which can cause feelings of depression.



Also, unlimited use of social media could fuel “Internet addiction,” a proposed psychiatric condition closely associated with depression.
The results of the study showed that on an average the participants used social media a total of 61 minutes per day and visited various social media accounts 30 times per week.


Compared with those who checked social media least frequently, participants who reported most frequent checking throughout the week had 2.7 times the likelihood of depression.


Similarly,participants who spent the most total time on social media throughout the day had 1.7 times the risk of depression, when compared to peers who spent less time on social media.


The research is published online in the journal Depression and Anxiety.
However, exposure to social media also may cause depression, which could then in turn fuel more use of social media, the researchers pointed out.


“It may be that people who already are depressed are turning to social media to fill a void,” said lead author Lui yi Lin from the University of Pittsburgh in the US.


The findings revealed that the exposure to highly idealised representations of peers on social media elicits feelings of envy and the distorted belief that others lead happier, more successful lives.


Engaging in activities of little meaning on social media may give a feeling of “time wasted” that negatively influences mood.

Source

 

[Night_Hawk]

[h=1]Can Too Much Social Media Cause Depression?[/h] [h=3]Psychologist Dr. Paula Durlofsky digs into how to establish a healthy balance between real-time relationships and virtual connections.[/h] by Dr. Paula Durlofsky

Most of us are familiar with social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It’s easy for us to get caught up in the social world, feeling instantly connected to people that we may not have spoken to in years.


Hours of our time can be spent witnessing our friends’ family vacations, children’s momentous occasions, birthdays, weddings and even difficult life transitions such as divorce, sickness and death.

Although social media relationships can have a positive effect on us emotionally, numerous studies have been conducted linking social networking to depression, social isolation, eliciting feelings of envy, insecurity and poor self-esteem.


Other studies indicate that social media sites can be positive for people struggling with social anxiety and depression.


Perhaps it’s best to understand our own personal reasons for using social media and to evaluate whether or not our use of them is helping or hindering our sense of connection to others, as well as our overall emotional health.

Once we understand what the psychological needs are underlying our use of these sites, we can then adjust our expectations to meet these needs.
http://www.mainlinetoday.com/Blogs/...4/Can-Too-Much-Social-Media-Cause-Depression/



Below are a few tips to help you balance virtual relationships and real-time relationships:

1. Ask yourself why you are using social networking sites. Is it to build relationships, for professional networking purposes, to connect to old friends or to stay connected to those that live far away? Once you determine what you are looking for you can then set realistic goals.

2. Limit your time on social networking sites. This will help with controlling the amount of time you are spending in the virtual world.


3. If social networking sites cause you to feel disconnected, depressed or lonely consider “upping” your interactions with people by sending them a private message or even a text message. This level of virtual communication is more personal and intimate than communicating in an open forum.


4. Make sure to schedule time to see your friends and family beyond the virtual world. Having positive, secure, relationships is strongly associated with high levels of self-esteem, resiliency, fosters feelings of connectedness and decreases depression and anxiety.