Internet Use and Depression Linked in Study

The internet is used day and night for business, study and personal reasons; but a new study sounds the warning bell that excessive internet use is linked to depression. What is not known is whether internet use causes depression, or if depressive people are attracted to the internet. Researchers at the University of Leeds in the UK conducted the study.

The Leeds researchers found evidence, which they considered striking, that some internet users have developed a compulsive internet habit that seems to replace real life social interaction with online chat rooms and social networking sites. The study results suggest that addictive type internet surfing is associated with depression.

While the internet plays a large part in modern life, there is a darker side, according to Dr. Catriona Morrison, from the University of Leeds, the lead author of the study. Dr. Mmorrison stated, "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."

People considered to be 'internet addicts' in the study spent proportionately more time surfing the web, on online gaming sites, in online communities and browsing sexual oriented websites. These users had a higher incidence of moderate to severe depression than people who were not addicted to the internet.

Dr. Morrison stated that the Leeds research indicates a link between depression and excessive internet use, but researchers could not determine which came first, the depression or the internet use. The internet may be attractive to people who are have psychological disorders such as depression and addiction. For these people interacting on websites may replace normal social function.

The University of Leeds study was the first large scale study in the West to consider the relationship between depression and internet addiction. There were 1,319 people aged between 16 - 51 in the study. Of the study participants, 1.2% ere classed as being internet addicted. The University of Leeds Study will be published in the journal Psychopathology on February, 10, 2010. The University of Leeds is in the United Kingdom.

Resource:

EurekAlert: University of Leeds; Excessive Internet use is linked to depression - 2-Feb-2010

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