Social Media the Healing Potential: Exploring its Role in Treating Depression Symptom

According to a recent study, receiving therapy for problematic social media use can help persons with depression feel better mentally.

Research in the Journal of Medical Internet Research suggests usage interventions can help adults with problematic social media use.

Problematic use cases of Social Media

Problematic use happens when obsession with technology distracts from important duties and neglects other life obligations.

Prior studies have indicated that technology use may become problematic when it negatively impacts a person’s everyday life, leading to mental health issues like sadness, anxiety, stress, and loneliness.

Researchers have created and assessed its use in therapies to address these problems and enhance users’ mental health. These strategies include avoiding or using technology in moderation, as well as therapy-based strategies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

Between 2004 and 2022, researchers examined 23 studies with people from around the world. They discovered that technology use interventions enhanced mental health in 39% of the investigations, which is more than in any other study.

Improvements were especially noticeable in depression (poor mood), as 70% of studies reported that depression significantly improved after the intervention.

The majority of research (83%) found improvements in mental wellness with therapy-based interventions, while only 20% and 25%, respectively, found improvements with limited or no technology use.

More uses of Social Media

The number of people using social media and mental health difficulties are both on the rise, according to the lead author, the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health’s Dr. Ruth Plackett.

Health and care workers should know reducing platform use alone likely won’t significantly impact mental health.

A therapeutic approach, focusing on online platform use and controlling behaviors, may improve mental health.

Dr. Patricia Schartau, a GP and study author from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health, added: In order to give patients who present with anxiety and/or low mood the chance to benefit from treatment, including some of the more effective interventions described in our review, primary care physicians should proactively investigate social media use and its effects on mental health in those patients.

In 2022, 4.59 billion people are expected to use social media, reshaping interactions, connections, and perceptions.

Social Media to promote support

Some studies show social media offers support, while others link it to psychological issues like despair and anxiety.

The researchers are hoping that by sharing their findings, legislators, physicians, and others would be better able to handle problematic social media use.

To find out who would profit most from it’s use interventions, more study is necessary.

Dr. Plackett has received a Fellowship (grant number MH013) from NIHR Research Schools Mental Health Programme. “In addition, the NIHR ARC North Thames has funded this study as an independent research endeavor. It’s It’s crucial to note that the authors’ views may not reflect those of NIHR or the Department of Health.

Study restrictions

The quality of current experimental research is poor, and problems with selection bias make it challenging to generalize the results.

To identify who benefits most from these interventions, we need more experimental and longitudinal research with representative samples.