Surfing the Web May Lead to Depression

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Does surfing the internet make you happy? Not according to psychologists at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. In fact, in a study published in the February Journal Psychopathology, they discovered that people who spend a lot of time browsing the net are more likely to become depressed. While we are all aware of the many benefits of being online, until now, little research has been done to examine how the internet affects our health. In the words of lead researcher Dr Catriona Morrison, "The internet now plays a huge part in modern life, but its benefits are accompanied by a darker side."

"While many of us use the internet to pay bills, shop and send emails, there is a small subset of the population who find it hard to control how much time they spend online, to the point where it interferes with their daily activities." As people become absorbed within the internet, they lose track of time. They may waste hours or days online and, at this level of involvement, their obsession could become an addiction and further deteriorate into other serious mental disorders. What this research demonstrates is that the disorder that frequently accompanies internet addiction is moderate to severe depression.

What is not clear is whether the internet causes the depression or that depressed people simply are drawn to the internet. According to Dr. Morrison, "Our research indicates that excessive internet use is associated with depression, but what we don't know is which comes first.”

"What is clear, is that for a small subset of people, excessive use of the internet could be a warning signal for depressive tendencies." Concerns about the link between depression and the internet began in Britian with a wave of suicides in the Welsh town of Bridgend in 2008. The South Wales Coroner, Phillip Walters, said that he began looking “at these networking sites to see if there is a link between them and the growing number of youngsters committing suicide” after witnessing an unusual rise in suicide rate.

He added: “I want to warn youngsters about the possible dangers these websites can pose. I would also like to warn parents to be actively on the alert for signs of their children being influenced by others on these sites." His comments led many to question the extent to which social networking sites can contribute to depressive thoughts in vulnerable teenagers. In the Leeds study, young people were shown to be more likely to be internet addicted than middle-aged users, with the average age of the addicted group standing at 21 years.

"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," added Dr Morrison. "We now need to consider the wider societal implications of this relationship and establish clearly the effects of excessive internet use on mental health."

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