Addiction and Psychological Disorders Related to Social Media

People tend to deny that they have an addiction, even though they do. They do not want to believe something about themselves that deep down they know are true. The constant connection to social media, rewires the brain to become conform to constantly want to be connected to something. .

There are many variables when it comes to talking about substance abuse and addiction. According to (L. Lagoni, 2010), links are present between mental illness and self-medication referred to as the self-medication hypotheses. The research in this peer reviewed article was comprehensive and viewed psychiatric disorders from many different angles. They looked at illicit drug and alcohol users and found that many mental health disorders such as Thought, Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar, PTSD, ADHD, and APD are connected to many societal issues which include homelessness, health issues, unemployment crime, and early deaths.

The comorbidity of drug addiction and other mental disorders has been a primary research topic for decades in the psychology community. This trend is evident by the plethora of studies conducted regarding a variety of combinations of substance addictions and mental disorders. I believe that being able to find so many scholarly resources is extremely encouraging to novices in the field, such as myself, because it inspires them to learn more about and conduct more research on this topic.

Doctors say that they are increasingly seeing patients from all walks of life who suffer from a combination of substance abuse and mental illnesses or physical disabilities. Among them are use of medications that contribute to weight gain, which is associated with diabetes and hypertension; high rates of smoking, which contributes to asthma, acute respiratory disease, heart disease, and lung cancer; reduced physical activity and fitness, which contributes to hypertension and heart disease; and use of medications with adverse gastrointestinal effects (source). Several epidemiological studies of medical comorbidity among patients with psychiatric illness have been conducted. Koran and associates reviewed the medical status of 500 psychiatric inpatients and found that 291 had significant active medical disorders, of which hypertension, epilepsy, organic brain syndrome, diabetes, and hepatitis were the most common (source). Experts say that at least sixty percent of people diagnosed with either a mental illness or physical disability are also diagnosed with a mental illness (source). The medical term for being diagnosed with both a physical disability or mental illness and a substance abuse

According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the compelling feature of substance use disorders is that the grouping of psychological feature, physiological and activity manifestations in a person who often uses mood/mind-altering substances in spite of issues related to their use (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 483). The DSM-5 identifies a very important characteristic proportionate to the severity of those disorders the underlying amendment in noesis that persists once detoxification leading to a detrimental sequence of actions such as relapse and cravings once the person is within the presence of feelings that are related to misusing drugs (American Psychiatrical

Studies have shown that there is an association between personality disorders (PD) and substance abuse. Substance use is known to be a differential diagnosis for personality disorders, which implies that there are similarities between the two manifestations. This makes the differentiation between personality disorders and substance induced behaviour changes difficult. However it is very important to not make a personality disorder diagnosis based solely on symptoms of substance use (DSM-5). Generally this comorbidity occurs within Cluster B personality disorders, mainly because of the impulsivity that is associated with these disorders, for example; Antisocial PD displays impulsivity and inability to plan ahead, Histrionic PD entails suggestibility and the need for excitement, and those with Borderline PD tend to act impulsive due to affective instability. Further, the two main Personality Disorders in Cluster B associated with Substance abuse are Borderline Personality Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Dysthymic Disorder causes you to have a low mood for as long as a year, sometimes even longer. What this means is that you will feel sad a lot of the time. The symptoms you would experience would be sadness, feeling tired very often, changes in eating habits, and changes in sleeping habits. About 2% of the American population has this type of depression. The best treatment would be therapy as opposed to medication, although combining the two might result in a faster improvement.

Gathered results demonstrated the positive and significant correlations between addictive use of social media and narcissism (p< .01). Additionally, statistics revealed that self-esteem contributed the most to the excessive use social media (p< .001). Other factors also

This study relied on survey data and was cross-sectional research. Future research could include a qualitative approach in order to better understand the levels of addiction to social media, and the severity of mental health amongst participants with depression and anxiety.

The popularity of social media giants such as Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are on the rise and so is our nation's overall poor mental health status (The State of Mental Health in America). Studies have shown that there is a direct link between our social media obsession and our poor mental health (Walton). Social media can lead to feelings of comparison, jealousy and even delusional behavior. Another effect that social media has on our mental health is that it often leads to feelings of sadness and loneliness. Lastly, social media addiction is one of the many things that affects our mental health. Studies show that social media is often the cause of poor mental health, it can cause comparison, jealousy, loneliness and lastly addiction.

The most genuine complication of social media is addiction. A reporter on Salem health characterized that text messaging is no longer the biggest teenage obsession, and enormous phone bills from lengthy phone calls are no longer the biggest doubts for parents. These teenage addictions still remain, but in our generation and in analogy to the Facebook mania, it’s quite insignificant. Facebook addiction is advised to be a disorder driven by a craving. Not being able to access Facebook creates anxiety among fanatics. It is one of the most prominent social networking sites and has over one billion users without exception. People detach themselves from family and friends. Further symptoms of Facebook addiction have been related with needy sleep patterns. Researchers have also attempted to evaluate certain personality traits to the obsession. Being in touch with friends and family might clarify the logic why people are unreasonably obsessed.

In today’s society almost every individual has some type of social media, whether it is Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, or Twitter, People have accustomed to utilizing these types of social media and it has become part of their life and daily use. According to the essay “Students Addicted to Social Media” by the International Center for Media and Public Agenda, the study from the University of Maryland claims “American college students today are addicted to media” (Signs of Life in the USA 403). The university discovered that when these students are restricted from using media it is similar in terms of drug and alcohol addictions. During the study that the university conducted, students discuss how boring it is without media and how it gives them anxiety about not receiving information through social media. Other students claimed that texting and IM'ing gives them comfort and if they do not have these items then they feel alone and isolated from the world ( Signs of Life in the USA 404). Students are not the only ones who have an addiction of media but also parents and non-students. However, the International Center is accurate in some aspects and the responses students gave are very relatable which some people can agree with.

It’s a serious addiction and it can fuel your snacking habits as you browse late into the night. Not to mention it can affect your sleeping patterns, which can induce stress and encourage fatty food indulgences.

Second of all, using social media is not a good way to make people release their stress, but it actually isolates people. According to the article, “Addiction, Social Media,” “Social media addiction is an increasingly popular term used to represent heavy use of social networks that interferes with daily life. Many studies have shown that social media possess addictive qualities similar to drug, alcohol, or chemical addictions.” This quote explains that social media is not something that just about fun, it is addictive. Just like an alcoholic, all he or she wants is alcohol. When people are addicted to social media, they will more likely isolate themselves from the real world. They will not have the real relationship with others because everything they do is just texting through their social network sites. In addition, when people who are addicted to social media hangout with their friends, they will always check their phone for the news, statuses, and pictures that their friends on the virtual whole post. Moreover, these people will not have too much real communication with the person that they think is “friend” through the Internet. So, when someone is addicted to social media, all he or she do is living with social media, not the real world.

Today’s youth generation, has a strong attachment to the online world. Many adolescents spend most of their time online versus offline. Therefore, one can consider these adolescents as a social network addict, a person who spends a fair amount of time on one or many social platforms. Throughout the three articles, “Social Networking Addiction: An Overview of Preliminary Findings” by Mark Griffiths, “Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship” by Nicole B. Ellison and “Taking Risky Opportunities in Youthful Content Creation: Teenagers’ use of Social Networking Sites for Intimacy, Privacy, and Self-expression” by Sonia Livingstone, show how this addiction has changed people’s communication among people. While there are