Why People With Depression Are Addicted To Social Media| Dr Manju antil। Wellnessnetic Care। psychologist Manju Antil। psychologist talk। depression ~ Dr Manju Antil (Counselling Psychologist and Psychotherapist)

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Here's a post about why people with depression have a tendency to be addicted to social media.⁠ Of course, not all depressed people do this, but I've found this to be very common in my research and talking to folks with depression.⁠ let's discuss some points here, why person with depression doing it

1. The dopamine hits from social media are one of the few things that actually make them feel something

2. They're lonely and want to see what other people are up to

3. Seeing others having fun makes them sad, but they're addicted to that sadness

4. Social media is an easily available form of distraction from their painful and sad thoughts

5. They can relate to the content on social media including memes and mental health posts

When you are depressed, your ability to experience pleasure drops to rock bottom. That, to me, is the main signifier of depression, even more so than the waves of sadness that come with it. 😔⁠

A lot of people diss social media for being too distracting and affecting our attention span and dopamine receptors. This is true, but on the other hand, we do what we have to do to keep ourselves sane.

Don't feel bad for using social media as a crutch to keep yourself going if you have depression, but make sure to find other healthy coping mechanisms at the same time.

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So, when your ability to experience joy is gone, social media, with its easily accessible hits of dopamine, seems like a godsend.⁠

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Scrolling through Instagram, looking at posts and reels gives you that anticipation and excitement that life doesn't really give anymore. 📱⁠

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Now, of course if you rely on social media exclusively, that is a problem and it is unhealthy. But in my opinion, taking that away from people without giving them an alternative can feel extremely draining and adds to their weight on top of what depression already feels like.⁠

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Feel free to use social media to keep you going for sure, but in the meantime find other small wins that you can manage to help get you out of depression in long term. 🙌⁠

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