New Illness: Facebook Depression?
This may sound like a joke, but it's not: researchers at Stony Brook University in New York have found that too much Facebook usage can leave you more prone to anxiety and depression...that is, if you're a teenage girl. In a study, a group of 13-year old girls were evaluated by psychology professor Dr. Joanne Davila and her colleague, Lisa Starr. A year later, the researchers followed up with the girls, testing them for depressive symptoms.
Feeling Down? Blame Facebook!
The results of their tests, recently published in The Journal of Adolescence, showed that the girls who excessively talked with their friends about their issues had significantly higher levels of depression. Today's online tools provide even more ways for this to occur. Says Dr. Davila, "Texting, instant messaging and social networking make it very easy for adolescents to become even more anxious, which can lead to depression."
The problem with these electronic tools du jour is that they allowed the girls to discuss the same problems over and over again. This caused them to get stuck obsessing over a particular emotional setback, unable to move forward.
A Couple of Caveats
Turning a critical eye to this research, though, we have to wonder: is it really Facebook and IM that's getting the girls down? Or is it just the nature of teenage girls to talk themselves to tears? We already know that teenage girls engage in excessive talking and rumination...and they've been doing so for years. It's just the means by which they communicate these days that has changed.
Years ago, those same girls may have spent hours on the phone or writing out their thoughts in secret "slambooks." Even longer ago, they probably sat at their desks writing out long, emotional letters. For many girls, chatting about or dwelling on their problems is just a part of growing up.
It's not necessarily the medium through which the chatter tasks place that's the issue - it's the amount of discussion that leads to the feelings of depression. Said Dr. Davila, "[The girls] often don't realize that excessive talking is actually making them feel worse."
It's also worth pointing out that the study involved a relatively small sample of girls: 83 in total, which doesn't seem like a large enough group to form any definitive, universal conclusions.
What we can conclude here is that social networking sites haven't changed anything about how we communicate - they've just given us a different platform through which we do so. And our interactions with other online can mirror those we have off.
Update: Please note one of the study's authors has contributed to the discussion to clarify the details of their research. Although the article we linked to examined the study's findings in the context of Facebook, the actual study did not examine Facebook, she says. However, the DailyMail article is quoting the lead researcher Dr. Davila as saying "Texting, instant messaging and social networking make it very easy for adolescents to become even more anxious, which can lead to depression. Teenage friends have always chatted about their problems, asking each other why a boy didn't call or if they should break up with a boyfriend. But frequently discussing the same problem can intensify into an unhealthy activity for those who use Facebook and other electronic means to obsess about it." While the actual paper may not have focused on Facebook, it's clear that the researcher is thinking about how this sort of co-rumination occurs using today's electronic means. The headline "Facebook Depression" is meant to be a little tongue-in-cheek and it should not be taken literally to mean that using Facebook causes depression.
Image Credit: Dawn Ashley
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"...that's right. It's basically a diseased face of friendship."
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6rNgCnY1lPg
Geez, I forgot how hard it is to be a 13-year-old girl and how big your problems seemed then. I mean Tommy not calling when he said he would and that F on the Algebra test really are worth getting depressed over. Although maybe teenage girls in 2009 have bigger problems, like their naked photos being sent by camera phone to a group of frenemies.
Sounds like the researchers used the current facebook craze to snag their 15 minutes of fame for their efforts. Cheap. Can't wait til they go research how 10 hours of straight online gaming is affecting 13 yr. old World of Warcraft players around the country.
When I read the title to this post, I was sure there would be some insight into how different it is to connect through a social network like Facebook vs. one-to-one channels like texting or phone.
The big difference between teen girls (but this is for anyone really) who wrote in slambooks and talked on the phone and those who connect through Facebook, is the exposure.
This puts many snippets of those phone conversations, slambooks, diaries etc. online for your network to consume.
It's a comparison enabler like none we've ever had before. Magazines give us a crappy body-image standard to try to live up to but at least we can say "it's photoshopped, that's not the real world". With Facebook, it is the 'real' world and we can be made to feel like we're missing out. Or that we don't measure up to many of our other connections etc.
So, had the research concentrated on this aspect of Facebook, I believe there would definitely be some basis for Facebook depression.
This is not the first study or story I have read about this. Depression in teens can come in many forms, and social networks just add to it. Teens can get a certain sense of acceptance and high from interacting on social networks that doesn't always translate in the real world. They have to grow up to learn the difference.
Not surprising considering one of the most popular addictions on Beating Addiction (www.BeatingAddiction.com) is Facebook
A lot of teenagers are stuck in a narcissistic crisis which causes depression. Most of them will grow out of it by 16 but many women (and even more often men, I have read) will be stuck with narcissistic personality disorder in a mild form their whole lives.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder
Maybe facebook does allow teens to become more self absorbed. Part of what they suffer from is the feeling of being on stage and when you are online you are onstage 24/7.
I saw this article and expected something far more world shattering. This isn't just about teenager girls, professors, geez. I can see this happening with EVERYONE.
Example:
You go to a profile of some girl you had a crush on in college but didn't have the guts to ask out, and you see her pics with her and her boyfriend having fun. Suddenly, u start to regret your decisions.
Or.. you see how everyone you know have hundreds of "friends" in facebook, while you just have 50 or so.
Or.. you see photos of your friend having fun in a party with his arms all over hot chicks.
The fact of the matter is: when you're around any social network, your view of life gets distorted.
Fact is: the girl you wanted to ask out? turned out to be an emo, with serious personality flaws.. but you don't see that in facebook.
Fact is: The hundreds of friends your friends have? They were just acquaintances.
Fact is: the friend you see hitting those hot chicks? Got a STD that night.
i don't see how fb and depression have a connection unless the girls realise how much time they're wasting on it :)
LOL, just switch to MySpace!
RT
www.real-privacy.us.tc
while chatting with friends about emotional issues may mean dwelling on them, it's often better to talk (or in this case im) someone about it rather than to think about it in your head. at times when theres no one physically there for you to talk to, you can IM them to get the similar result of spilling out your thoughts and getting emotionally stabilized. obviously this makes you emotionally sad during the process, but final result is alot better than that from thinking to yourself.
:O thats interesting! facebook depression!!!
I believe that facebook, and text messaging is a bad substitute for kids who may need real advice, or just a listening ear.
It just can not take the place of being able to speak your fears, and emotions face to face. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the same would be true of a reassuring look from someone you love. Most people want to know that you care, they don't care what you know.
When sending a text, they cannot see your face, and they probably just are needing to vent. The recipient feels compelled to text something back, even though they are just needing someone to listen.
Blame Facebook? Are you serious? Putting the blame on something else instead of poor parenting or poor reasoning is thee reason society is turning into the place I don't want to live.
"Apparently, the problem with these electronic tools du jour is that they allowed the girls to discuss the same problems over and over again. This caused them to get stuck obsessing over a particular emotional setback, unable to move forward."
That doesn't sound like Facebook's fault. That sounds like the girls' fault.
You guys needto get a life, its not depressing..........
You have GOT to be kidding me. Depression manafests itself in a multitude of ways. If the individual has a tendency toward OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), bipolar, or depression, then FB is indeed one way they will try and reach out. If their parents allow them to use the website beyond a resonable amount of time, then there inlies the issue. Prior to our present technology, those same girls wrote notes during class, or skipped class altogether to get into all kinds of trouble. FB isn't the cause, but a new symptom that hopefully will alert their parent/s to get them the help they need.
When I read this article, I thought it was written by a college boy on a joke website. Although your descriptions on teenage girls aren't altogether unfounded, they are harsh and unsympathetic.
Also, you did not consider the nature of Facebook, at all. The study is, after all, "teen girls+Facebook=depression." Teen girls on Facebook, besides being able to communicate with their friends, can see other people's profiles. They can look at idealized images of their friends, as these friends choose to project themselves on their profiles. And, inevitably, the teen girls see photographs are of other people engaging in activities that seem more vital than sitting at a computer. It's easier for Facebook, more than Slambooks (which were NOT that prevalent) and letters, to reach back out to the girl and make her feel inadequate. Don't write everything off as hype and have a little heart.
I certainly hope that this redaction of the paper these chumps put out it poorly done. I mean, you get a correlation between talking a lot about problems and being depressed, and then the conclusion is that the discussion is causing the depression? Wouldn't the reverse be the way more obvious choice? that because these girls were depressed about various things they (healthily) wanted to talk through their problems with their good friends? I mean, what are these researchers going to conclude next, that suicide attempts tend to cause a serious loss of hope in life?
And the fact that I'm the first to point this out here shows how convincing "science" is. "Look, we did scientific research, therefore you must now believe everything we say, just trust us that there's a necessary connection between the research and our conclusions" and then you trusted them.
I used to be depressed back when I was a homeless rodeo clown but not any more. Now I am a world class magician !
You have GOT to be kidding me. Depression manafests itself in a multitude of ways. If the individual has a tendency toward OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), bipolar, or depression, then FB is indeed one way they will try and reach out. If their parents allow them to use the website beyond a resonable amount of time, then there inlies the issue. Prior to our present technology, those same girls wrote notes during class, or skipped class altogether to get into all kinds of trouble. FB isn't the cause, but a new symptom that hopefully will alert their parent/s to get them the help they need..
Were external factors taken into account for the girls' mental anguish?
Hello, I am one of the co-authors of this study, and I want to clarify a few important points. Our article did NOT show that Facebook (or any other technology usage) was at all related to depression. In fact, our study had nothing to do with Facebook whatsoever. Instead, our study focused on a repetitive, negatively-focused communication pattern called co-rumination, and its potentially maladaptive consequences. The quotes in this articles were taken out of context, and please do not read too much into them.
Again, our research does NOT show that Facebook is to blame for adolescent depression, and in contrast we believe that attributing a widespread and long-existing disorder to a passing internet fad is both ill-conceived and potentially dangerous. I think it is important to set the record straight on these findings, as I have seen the information presented here cross-posted on a number of blog.
I am happy to share our article anyone who is interested, or you can find it in the latest issue of Journal of Adolescence. Again, it has nothing to do with Facebook. I have already sent this information directly to the author, but have not heard back at this time.
Thanks for your in our work.
-Lisa Starr, Stony Brook University
Written about here, ever so long ago: http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/12/03/anti.complain.campaign/index.html?iref=newssearch
This is the second time you've posted sensationalist, FUD inducing content to RWW (and this time you have the study author saying so). What's going on, Sarah Perez?
(For the first time, see Google's Open Phone, Open to Attack?)
There are several reasons for depression. Maybe girls (boys) are just able to express themselves through FB since it's easier to say/do anything online knowing you can't be seen.