Social Media Use and Depression
How is depression
described?
Depression
symptoms can be mild, brief, and fleeting, or they can be severe, persistent,
and have a substantial impact on an individual's quality of life. Typically, depression
is categorized as mild, moderate, or severe. When an individual's symptoms
have reached the prolonged end of the spectrum and called for medical attention,
they are said to be experiencing clinical
depression.
The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines two core
categories of clinical
depression, major
depressive disorder (unipolar depression)
and the depressed
phase of bipolar disorder, despite the
fact that depression
can take many different forms and be categorized in a variety of ways. To learn
more about social media use and depression, seek Online
Counselling at TalktoAngel
Asia's No. 1 Depression Counselling Platform.
How can depression
develop?
The chance of depression can be increased by a variety of circumstances, including the following:
- Abuse
- Being abused physically, sexually, or emotionally can make you more
susceptible to depression in the future.
- Age
- Depressive disorders are more common in older adults. Other factors, like residing alone and having no social support, can make this worse.
- Some drug usage,
including corticosteroids, interferon-alpha, and isotretinoin (used to treat
cancer), can increase your chance of developing depression.
- Conflict
- Individuals who are physiologically predisposed to depression may experience
depression as a result of personal issues or conflicts with friends or family.
- Loss or death:
Although common, sadness or grief following the passing of a loved one might
increase the risk of depression.
- Gender:
Compared to men, women have around a twofold greater chance of developing
depression. The reason why is not known. It's possible that the hormonal
changes that women experience at various stages of their life will have an
impact.
- Genes:
An increased risk may result from a family history of depression.
Since depression is thought to be a complicated feature, many different genes,
each having a small impact, are likely involved rather than a specific gene
that increases the likelihood of developing the condition. Similar to all other
psychiatric disorders, depression has a more complex genetic profile than
conditions that are solely inherited, including Huntington's chorea or cystic
fibrosis.
- Significant events
- Even happy occasions like starting a new job, graduating, or getting married
might trigger sadness. A move, a job loss, a financial setback, a divorce, or
retirement could all have an effect.
- Other personal issues
- Rejection from a social or familial group, social isolation brought on by
other mental diseases, and social isolation, in general, can all increase the
risk of developing severe depression.
- Chronic Illnesses:
Depression may develop alongside or as a result of a severe illness.
- Drug abuse-
Nearly 30% of substance abusers also have severe or clinical depression. Even
if alcohol or drugs temporarily improve your mood, they will inevitably cause
you to feel worse.
Does using social media
make you depressed?
There
is a startling lack of hard data on how social media networks affect us
individually, including our habits, social connections, and mental health,
despite social media networks' pervasiveness and their rapid integration into
nearly every part of our lives. The information that is currently available
isn't always favorable.
According
to studies, teens
and adolescents who use social media are more likely to have melancholy, anxiety,
poor sleep, low self-esteem, attention deficit disorder, and hyperactivity.
These
studies, however, are essentially observational or co-relational in design,
which implies they do not demonstrate the causal relationship
between the two.
One
well-known argument against the claim that social media makes individuals more
miserable and lonely is that people who are more depressed and lonely are far
more inclined to use social media to connect with others. To reduce your
social media consumption and manage your depression, one is advised to
consult the top psychologist in India
at TalktoAngel
Asia Pacific No.1 Depression Counselling Platform.
Does depression affect how often
people use social media?
According
to a recent study, social media use is causally linked to detrimental effects
on well-being, such as despair and loneliness. The Journal of Social and Clinical
Psychology published the findings.
The
study's co-author said, "What was found is that overall, if you use
minimal social networks, you are essentially less unhappy and lonely, signaling
that less social media usage is indeed beneficial and ends up causing that
qualitative shift in your well-being.
Before
everything that happened, all that could be concluded was that using social
media could lead to the loss of important health outcomes.
The
experimental group's social media use was limited to 30 minutes each day — 10
minutes on three separate sites — for three weeks (Facebook, Instagram, and
Snapchat).
The
experts claim that this is the first time a causal correlation has been found
in scientific studies.
The
researchers looked at phone usage data, which showed how so much time had
already been spent each day on each app, in order to sustain these experimental
conditions.
But
why on earth would you give the test group access to social media?
Refraining
didn't seem to reflect the world we live in today, in our opinion. Social
networking is, in many ways, present everywhere we turn, according to Young.
The
results were clear: even though the subgroup that had utilized social networks
less had not been completely eliminated, its outcomes in terms of mental health
had improved.
At
the beginning of the experiment, baseline readings were recorded for
participants in six domains of well-being: support networks, fear of falling
behind, loneliness, isolation, anxiety,
depression,
self-esteem, independence, and self-acceptance.
Individuals
within the experimental group showed reductions in feelings of loneliness
and depressive symptoms at the trial's conclusion, with the greatest benefits
happening in those who had greater levels of depression.
It
was found that regardless of where the individuals in the group started, their
feelings of despair were lessened if they were forced to minimize their use of
social media. The researchers credit this to users becoming considerably more
conscious of their social media usage as a result of taking part in the trial,
which they believe led to a drop in apprehension and fear of missing out on
both groups.
If
you consider that you or your near and dear are having challenges with the use of
social media, you may consult Best
Clinical Psychologist in India at
the multiplication clinic Psychowellness
Center at Dwarka, Janakpuri, Gurgaon, Vasant Vihar, Faridabad, and Delhi NCR.
Contributed
By- Dr. (Prof) R.K. Suri
& Ms. Varshini Nayyar
SHARE