Study links excessive internet use to depression
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
People who spend a lot of time surfing the internet are more likely to show signs of depression, British scientists said today.
But it is not clear whether the internet causes depression or whether depressed people are drawn to it.
Psychologists from Leeds University found what they said was "striking" evidence that some avid net users develop compulsive internet habits in which they replace real-life social interaction with online chat rooms and social networking sites.
"This study reinforces the public speculation that over-engaging in websites that serve to replace normal social function might be linked to psychological disorders like depression and addiction," the study's lead author, Catriona Morrison, wrote in the journal Psychopathology.
"This type of addictive surfing can have a serious impact on mental health."
In the first large-scale study of Western young people to look at this issue, the researchers analyzed internet use and depression levels of 1,319 Britons aged between 16 and 51.
Of these, 1.2 per cent were "internet addicted", they concluded.
These "internet addicts" spent proportionately more time browsing sexually gratifying websites, online gaming sites and online communities, Morrison said. They also had a higher incidence of moderate to severe depression than normal users.
"Excessive internet use is associated with depression, but what we don't know is which comes first -- are depressed people drawn to the internet or does the internet cause depression?," Morrison said.
"What is clear is that for a small subset of people, excessive use of the internet could be a warning signal for depressive tendencies."
Morrison noted that while the 1.2 per cent figure for those classed as "addicts" was small, it was larger than the incidence of gambling in Britain, which is around 0.6 per cent.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments