Social Media Mental Illness

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Amskeptic
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Social Media Mental Illness

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:06 am

This is not news to me. I see it every day as I travel the country. I see families in restaurants divided into their own cocoons, I see non-custodial parents buried in their phones as their elementary-age children sit there crest-fallen.
We know this truth. We know this.
Colin
NBC News
Social Media Linked To Rise In Mental Health Disorders In Teens

March 14, 2019, 8:12 AM CDT
By Shamard Charles, M.D.

Young adults born after 1995 are experiencing more mental health issues. Researchers point to lack of sleep and the rise of social media. Digital media use has a bigger impact on teens and young adults than older adults who tend to have more stable social lives, researchers say.

Mental health issues have risen significantly over the last decade and the rise of digital media may be one reason why, according to a national survey released Thursday.

The research, published by the American Psychological Association, found sharp increases in the number of young adults and adolescents who reported experiencing negative psychological symptoms — specifically in those born in 1995 or later, known as iGen. Coincidentally, the greatest spike in symptoms occurred in 2011, around the same time social media bursts onto the scene.

No corresponding increase was observed in older adults.

“We found a substantial increase in major depression or suicidal thoughts, psychological distress, and more attempted suicides after 2010, versus the mid-2000s, and that increase was by far the largest in adolescents and young adults,” said lead author Jean Twenge, author of the book “iGen” and professor of psychology at San Diego State University. “These trends are weak or non-existent among adults 26 years and over, suggesting a generational shift in mood disorders instead of an overall increase across all ages.”

Twenge and her team analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative survey that has looked at drug and alcohol use, mental health, and other health-related issues in U.S. individuals age 12 and over since 1971. They looked at survey responses from more than 200,000 adolescents age 12 to 17 from 2005 to 2017, and almost 400,000 adults age 18 and over from 2008 to 2017.

Major depression on the rise among everyone, new data shows
The questionnaire did not ask participants if they were diagnosed with depression or another mental condition, but instead asked individuals if they had experienced depressive symptoms in the past year. The rate of individuals reporting symptoms consistent with major depression in the last 12 months increased 52 percent in adolescents from 2005 to 2017 and 63 percent in young adults age 18 to 25 from 2009 to 2017, the researchers found. There was also a 71 percent increase in young adults experiencing serious psychological distress in the previous 30 days from 2008 to 2017.

And the rate of young adults with suicidal thoughts or other suicide-related outcomes increased a staggering 47 percent from 2008 to 2017.

One reason for the increase may be that digital media use has had a bigger impact on teens and young adults than older adults who tend to have more stable social lives.

“Cultural trends in the last 10 years may have had a larger effect on mood disorders and suicide-related outcomes among younger generations compared with older generations,” said Twenge.

These results, which are unlikely to be due to genetics or economic woes, suggest that more research is needed to understand how digital communication versus face-to-face social interaction influences mood disorders and suicide-related outcomes, she added.

Spending time with people face to face is a big protective factor against depression. We sometimes assume that communicating electronically is as good, but it's not.

Recent studies have shown that more social media use is associated with increased reported symptoms of social anxiety, social isolation, and feelings of loneliness.

“We can’t say for certain that the rise we’re seeing is the direct result of social media use," Fobian told NBC News. "For example, teens could have depressive or anxious symptoms and therefore spend more time on social media outlets to look for a way to connect.”

The new survey also found that young people are not sleeping as much as previous generations, which may also play a role in the rise of mental health issues. Sleep deprivation affects mood and is associated with anxiety and depression, research shows.

“Teenagers definitely use social media in a way that affects their sleep," said Fobian. "They are exposed to light right before bed and that light exposure alone delays their sleep by 30 minutes. It also affects their social interactions with others.”

Twenge and Fobian urge parents to limit overall social media use and encourage their children to engage in social activities.

“It's important to think more mindfully about how we use our amusement time. That means getting more sleep and spending less time with digital media,” said Twenge.

Twenge encourages parents to uphold a “no phones in the bedroom” rule by setting up charging stations outside the bedroom. And parents should set the example by not only participating in the policy, but also discontinuing their phone use within one hour of bedtime, Fobian said.

“How lack of sleep and overall screen time affects one’s mental health is a real thing," Fobian said. "And it's not just screen time, but it’s also what screen time has replaced. That matters because spending time with people face to face is a big protective factor against depression."

"We sometimes assume that communicating electronically is as good, but it's not,” Fobian concluded.

The results of the study are published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
Shamard Charles, M.D.

Dr. Shamard Charles is a physician-journalist for NBC News and Today, reporting on health policy, public health initiatives, diversity in medicine, and new developments in health care research and medical treatments.
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Re: Social Media Mental Illness

Post by asiab3 » Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:31 pm

I am guilty of spending too much time on my screen, and I see the improvements in my quality of life when I spend less time with it.
The next question... what can we do about it? There’s a Plato-Cave analogy weighing on anyone’s shoulder who dares cut their social media time down and interact with real people...
Robbie
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Re: Social Media Mental Illness

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:26 pm

asiab3 wrote:
Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:31 pm
I am guilty of spending too much time on my screen, and I see the improvements in my quality of life when I spend less time with it.
The next question... what can we do about it? There’s a Plato-Cave analogy weighing on anyone’s shoulder who dares cut their social media time down and interact with real people...
Robbie

We shall lead the prisoners out of their 3"x6" caves, we shall.

Now, I do not seek real people and prefer talking to shadows, but I call them out as shadows and not books. The other prisoners get sort of pissed with me, but when we are out in the sunny day with their Volkswagen in pieces, they learn to like the real things of bolts and nuts and valve cover gaskets and conversation and expansive diagrams that are not on a 3"X 6" screen. It is apparently rare, this experience of a full day of sustained effort and agency on tangible objects.

Saving the world one tune-up at a time.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Social Media Mental Illness

Post by Abscate » Tue Apr 30, 2019 3:54 am

EVery business trip I take, I take someone out of the online list and move them into the IRL list.

Social media is a just a path to relationships for me, not the relationship itself,

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Re: Social Media Mental Illness

Post by Amskeptic » Mon May 13, 2019 5:23 am

Abscate wrote:
Tue Apr 30, 2019 3:54 am
EVery business trip I take, I take someone out of the online list and move them into the IRL list.

Social media is a just a path to relationships for me, not the relationship itself,


That has been the case for me. In 2002, when I met theSamba online, I had only my local friends and a few life-long friends who I will love til I die.

Now I have a solid hundred people who I would happily visit and march right on in, "where's the coffee, hey the kids are so big now." It has been a joy to put the people to the usernames over the years.

And I enjoy having my VW peeps online to this day, but it was difficult to do that "like" thing on Facebook, I'll tell you.
ColinPhoneIsOffThisMinute!
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Sneaks
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Re: Social Media Mental Illness

Post by Sneaks » Mon May 13, 2019 9:56 am

I'm an INFP, the better half INFJ. We live in rural Maine. I work from home as a Sr Systems Admin for a software company out of NC, she's a homemaker. I spend minimum 12 hours online a day as it is my job, it's not unusual for several days a week to stretch to 18+ hours. I think my FB friends list is under 30, I don't log in every day, usually it is to get a link that the better half sent me from 10ft away for something she wants me to look at that she found during her day. There are days that from "morning, babe" to "dinner is ready" that neither of us will utter a word out loud. While some might see this as odd, it works very well for us, we have a great relationship. We talk when there's a need to talk, usually those times are like looking at stuff on youtube... start off with one topic and 3 hours later far away on something else. The next day, we might not say more than 20 sentences combined.

When I worked in a traditional office, I left each day emotionally drained from people, angry, frustrated, and stressed out. Add to all this, I have a auditory sensory disorder and mildly Asperger's. Calling me up or dropping by to ask me "to just do this thing, here's what I need" is a mistake, as by the time you are describing step two, I've already shut down, and by the time you've left the room or hung up, I've already forgotten what it is you want done. Send it to me in an email and I'll bang it out 3x faster than you had hoped, with enhancements you hadn't thought of.

I'm volunteer EMS, that gives me about as much interaction with strangers\acquaintances as I can handle, and that is only a two nights a week. Rural EMS, I think, is one of the last industries that strongly relies on pagers. They are a hybrid device that is a vibrate\tone pager that also receives (though cannot transmit) radio traffic. It's a good thing as my handheld doesn't hit a repeater until I'm 2 miles way from my house. Cell coverage is spotty at best, and there's locations in our coverage area where radio traffic isn't possible either. At the closest edge of our coverage, we are 20 minutes from a hospital in ideal conditions, many times we are 45-60 minutes out. Add limited communication and it makes things just a little more challenging :). You learn to be self-sufficient, get the job done, and keep shit tight. I'm taking a class for my next EMT level that has 18 people in it, I think that's more people I've had to be around at one time in years (outside of monthly trips to go shopping). Social situations are not our friends.

Since this type of schedule can play havoc with relationships, Friday night is "date" night. We don't go out (noooooooooo, not around PEOPLE!!), instead that is the kickoff of the weekend, I make a special dinner for us, the computers go away (phone has to stay as I'm on call 24/7/365 for my job), and we play cards or watch a movie. I'm building out my bus so we can do overnighters and camp, you know, to get away from everything lol. Even making a build thread was a struggle. I've been on ToS since 2012 with my current account, 2007 total and I have less than 400 posts, about the 1600 on STF since 2007, and that's mainly because it is smaller, like this one, and more "comfortable" for me.

Just reviewed this, seems disjointed and kinda all over the place, but it is a Monday and I can't wrap my head around making it any more logical so...
'79 Transporter "Ducky"

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Re: Social Media Mental Illness

Post by Amskeptic » Sat May 18, 2019 4:33 pm

Sneaks wrote:
Mon May 13, 2019 9:56 am
Just reviewed this, seems disjointed and kinda all over the place, but it is a Monday and I can't wrap my head around making it any more logical so...
We get it. There is a groundswell of people who want to evolve past the techno-gadget universe we now inhabit.
I look forward to seeing how it goes.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Social Media Mental Illness

Post by Abscate » Mon Jun 03, 2019 2:06 pm

Im on FB as my only pure social media platform simply as legacy watching over kids in high school. We kept phones from them until then, and I hope everyone else does the same.

Mine are all grown now, and are horrified at the lack of communication skills of their peers

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Re: Social Media Mental Illness

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Jun 20, 2019 9:26 am

Abscate wrote:
Mon Jun 03, 2019 2:06 pm
Im on FB as my only pure social media platform simply as legacy watching over kids in high school. We kept phones from them until then, and I hope everyone else does the same.

Mine are all grown now, and are horrified at the lack of communication skills of their peers

I can see how socially-sensitive kids could be overwhelmed by social media. It makes the pecking order glaringly obvious, and it freezes in time and space every dumb thing they may share. I had to learn how to be socially graceful. Had my path been frozen in the social media space to see and be humiliated by every day, I would not have evolved half so readily as I have been able to by just walking away and forgetting that which really should be forgotten, you know, "hey Mrs. Morton, when are you going to have the baby?" .... "Oh. Well, it looked like you were pregnant." ... "but I just got here."
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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