Problem Summary:

    Social Media has become one of the most used platforms by users of all ages across the world. People of all ages, especially young adults, spend a good majority of their time flipping through news feeds and checking tweets from their idols. I for one am guilty for constantly flipping through my newsfeed on Facebook looking at the latest posts of my friends. I do this out of habit and have gotten so numb to the feeling that I don’t realize that I clicked on the app half the time. I was drawn to the topic “Social Media and Mental Health” simply because I spend an excessive amount of time on social media and it has become an addiction that I find hard to break. I have always wondered if there is a risk on my mind's health from the extensive relationship I have with my phone and computer screen. There has been a lot of controversy over excess use of social media linking to mental health disorders. Studies have been done showing the positive and negative effects it has on the mental health and well-being of individuals.

    Social media has become more widely used over the years by all ages the majority being young adults. Parents along with the healthcare industry have had major concerns with the children and young adults routine of constantly using social media throughout the day. One of the major concerns was the mental health being affected. There have been many reports and assumptions on this topic. Various studies were conducted to find out whether or not they had valid concerns.

In a BMC Psychiatry article written by Andrew Shepherd there was a study done involving individuals who suffer from mental disorders. The participants were placed in support groups on Twitter and were asked to tweet about their symptoms and experiences that they had in healthcare settings. He says that they are allowed to say whatever is on their mind and they receive feedback from professionals or others who experience similar issues or symptoms. He says the study helped the patients in being able to express themselves and get help from a variety of people and get their opinions. He talks about how helpful the study has been in finding problems mental health patients face in health care and ways that they can improve. He thinks that the healthcare industry should research social media and use it as a resource in order to help the mental health patients more efficiently.

Deborah Richards wrote an article in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. She conducted a study to see if there was any link between the use of social media with young people and mental health problems. Richards stated that social media has become widely used by children and young adults. She said that there are benefits on interacting on social media, but there could also be a potential downside to interacting with people online which included cyberbullying and Facebook depression. Richards stated that most victims of cyberbullying were the ones that used social media more than others. She talks about young people being affected by the use of multiple social media applications. She said there are benefits with young people being able to communicate with others around the world with the convenience of using a personal device. Richards stated that they felt more comfortable and confident when they have the ability to talk privately with someone without worrying about others being able to see or hear the conversation.

Andrew Lewis wrote in Frontiers in Psychiatry that parents who had children that suffered from depression and used social media felt disconnected and helpless with their child. He said that they felt as though they couldn’t protect their children from the dangers associated with the use of social media. In Lewis’s study he talked to the parent’s of the children who had depression. A lot of the parents said that their child would spend hours on the computer on Facebook. He wrote that parents felt like they didn’t have a say in who their child could be friends with or talk to since they had no idea who their child would be communicating with. Lewis said that the majority of parents felt like they lost the connection with their child with their excessive use of Facebook. He wrote that they were concerned with the “friendship” that were formed were not real friendships, but were merely a way to receive a lot of likes on their posts and a way to feel accepted by the world. He talked about children already suffering from a mental illness were more vulnerable than kids who had no signs of mental problems. The article stated that they are also susceptible targets for cyber bullying due to their mental condition.

Sampasa-Kanyinga wrote in European Psychiatry that during the adolescent years it is common for mental health problems to start happening. Her study consisted of a survey done with students between 7th and 12th to find out their psychological distress asking them if they ever had thoughts of suicide, ever been a victim of cyberbullying, and what their ethnicity is. She wrote that females were of the higher percent of cyberbullying victims. She said that most cyberbully victims were more likely to have higher distress and thoughts of suicide than people who were not bullied. In the study individuals who spent more time on social media were more likely to get bullied than those who spent less time online. Females had the highest percent in all the categories. She also stated that victims of cyberbullying were more likely to answer the survey more honestly than the other participants.

Jesse Fleck wrote an article in The Journal of Individual Psychology and talks about the positive and negative aspects that social media has on the healthcare industry (mainly talking about psychiatry). Fleck said that social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have been very helpful in communicating with patients and consulting them in a faster manner. He wrote that it also helps them in getting to know the patient and building a relationship with them. He said that forming a support group online for the patients has been very helpful and convenient for all parties involved. He thinks that the use on an online forum being helpful with the patients since there is no fear and they can freely speak what is ailing them and they can talk among their peers. The article talks about the support that they get from multiple professionals and people with similar problems. He talks about the ways social media can have a negative effect such as being careful what information to talk about online so that the personal information does not become widely known to others. The article says that they have to be very careful and make sure information is restricted and private so that someone doesn’t get access to treatments and doctor-patient confidential information. He wrote that there is also the fact that someone could write something negative about the company and people will not go to them for help with their mental illness problems.

In a PLOS One article written by John Naslund there was research done on people with mental health problems the benefits that social media provided them. He talks about them using YouTube to share their problems and what they are going through in order to get other peoples opinions that have dealt with similar symptoms. He says along with YouTube Facebook is used in a similar way with posting about personal health issues and receiving support from a group of people encountering the same obstacles. Naslund wrote that videos that were uploaded on YouTube were a sort of documentary of individuals who suffered from mental issues and they received over 100,000 views and received numerous comments, suggestions, and encouragement. The article said that most of the comments were positive and numerous were going through similar issues and they felt more connected to others when they watched the videos. Naslund thinks that social media can be very helpful in connecting with the rest of the world and sharing problems and issues that other people face. He says it brings hope and inspires people to try and overcome their illness and better themselves.

When I use social media such as Facebook I often look at people’s posts and pictures and find someone that has similarities with me. In doing this I feel more connected just knowing that there are others out there that have gone through similar problems and have gotten through them. It is very convenient for me to communicate with friends or people I barely know on this website that is so trusted by me and others. It makes me feel better knowing that in a world so big there are many who experience the same feelings or beliefs that I do. Social media is a sort of hobby for me and I don’t think I could live without it.

Sources:

Sampasa-Kanyinga, H., and H.A. Hamilton. "Social Networking Sites And Mental Health Problems In Adolescents: The Mediating Role Of Cyberbullying Victimization." European Psychiatry 30.8 (2015): 1021-1027. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.

Richards, Deborah, Patrina HY Caldwell, and Henry Go. "Impact Of Social Media On The Health Of Children And Young People." Journal Of Paediatrics & Child Health 51.12 (2015): 1152-1157. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.

Fleck, Jesse, and Leigh Johnson-Migalski. "The Impact Of Social Media On Personal And Professional Lives: An Adlerian Perspective." Journal Of Individual Psychology 71.2 (2015): 135-142. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.

Naslund, John A., et al. "Naturally Occurring Peer Support Through Social Media: The Experiences Of Individuals With Severe Mental Illness Using Youtube." Plos ONE 9.10 (2014): 1-9. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.

Lewis, Andrew J., et al. "The Impact On Family Functioning Of Social Media Use By Depressed Adolescents: A Qualitative Analysis Of The Family Options Study." Frontiers In Psychiatry (2015): 1-8. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.

Shepherd, Andrew, et al. "Using Social Media For Support And Feedback By Mental Health Service Users: Thematic Analysis Of A Twitter Conversation." BMC Psychiatry 15.1 (2015): 1-9. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.