Tag Archives: depression

Social Media Addiction – Do you have it?

Have you found yourself constantly checking your phone when someone likes your post or sends you a message? Then you might have what is called “social media addiction”.

Tiktok, an example of a popular social media app. (via Wikimedia Commons)

How does Social Media Addiction work?

Cognitive neuroscientists have shown that rewarding social stimuli – positive feedback by our peers, messages from loved ones – activate dopaminergic reward pathways. Dopaminergic reward pathways are pathways that release the neurotransmitter dopamine, a molecule that causes pleasure. The brain has three major dopaminergic reward pathways,  the nigrostriatal, the mesocortical, and the mesolimbic system. These pathways are activated when a user receives social stimuli on social media, specifically a notification.  Therefore, this is why when you receive a notification, you experience a feeling of pleasure.

Dopamine pathways in the brain labelled as the mesolimbic, nigrostriatal, and mesocortical pathway (via Wikimedia Commons)

When talking about social media, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Tiktok are all prominently huge social apps that many teenagers/young adults use. Every notification from social media apps like these, whether it’s a message, a “like” on Instagram, or a Facebook notification is scheduled on a variable reward schedule, introduced by psychologist B.F. Skinner.  These apps are designed with the schedule in mind to maximize dopamine release, producing addictive tendencies similar to gambling and recreational drugs like cocaine to keep users using their products as much as possible.

How can I tell if I have social media addiction or will be likely to be addicted?

Addiction is normally classified as “engagement in the behaviour to achieve appetitive effects,  preoccupation with the behaviour, temporary satiation,  loss of control, and suffering negative consequences.” In the context of social media addiction, it would mean users would be:

  • Consistently checking our phones to engage with social media apps.
  • Only feeling satisfied when we engage with the apps.
  • Suffering negative feelings when using or not using social media.

As well,  a study demonstrates that users that struggle with “fear of missing out” (FOMO) behaviours predicted social media addiction. Additionally, it is also noted that attachment anxiety and avoidance predicted social media addiction, but this relationship was no longer significant after the addition of FOMO. Furthermore, the study finds users who display extraversion and neuroticism are more likely to use social media in the first place.

What does this mean for me if I’m addicted?

Social media addiction can lead to lower self-esteem, where low self-esteem is associated with lower satisfaction with life. Consequently, due to low self-esteem, it was further found that social media addiction was affecting depression indirectly. Many users suffering from social media addiction also found themselves experiencing time distortion, where those who were addicted were more likely to present significant upward time estimate bias. Additionally, the following Ted Talk by Bailey Parnell further highlights social media and its role in causing a poor mental health state.

Preventative Measures

Curing social media addiction is hard. As previously mentioned, companies that make the apps we use purposely design their apps to maximize the use of our dopamine-driven reward circuitry to keep us continually using their apps. Seemingly, the only way to cure the addiction is to simply stop using the apps, and remove them from our phones.

Martin Au-yeung

The Use of Recreational Drug MDMA in PTSD Treatment

When you think of MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy, you imagine most users using this drug would be most people using it at a club to party. However, scientists have recently used MDMA to assist in treating PTSD, and the results thus far are shocking.

What is MDMA?

MDMA is a drug that alters the mood and perception, where energy, pleasure, emotional warmth and sensory perception of the user are enhanced. To do so, MDMA enhances the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. The most notable neurotransmitter is serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in mood regulation and sleep. When MDMA binds to the synapse of nerve cells, it blocks the reuptake of serotonin, creating excess levels of serotonin present in the synaptic cleft. This is what is believed to cause the mood-elevating effects that people experience.

MDMA is found normally in the form of pressed pills. Source: Wikimedia Commons

PTSD and its effects on the human body 

PTSD is usually associated with dramatic flashbacks following a month after a traumatic event. Additionally, it can also be emotional numbness and avoidance of things that are reminders of the trauma. Most people also suffer from increased arousal, where they are very easily irritated and angered. However, these symptoms could take up to many months or years to appear following the trauma. These symptoms, if left untreated, could lead to an increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviours.”. War veterans, who usually suffer some degree of PTSD, are known to have a higher suicide rate compared to regular Canadian citizens. As well, more than 46% of adolescent girls who had been sexually abused attempted suicide at one point in their lives. 

 

Veteran Suicide Rates compared to Civilian Suicide Rates
Source: reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful by /u/datashown

 

Decrease in PTSD symptoms after MDMA treatment

In a study done with MDMA and its effect on PTSD, it saw over 68% of its participants no longer meet the standards of PTSD diagnosis over the course of a year. As well, almost all patients saw their symptoms reduced. The treatment of MDMA was done by administering 75-125 mg of the drug during psychotherapy sessions in two/three 8 hour long sessions monthly, with regular psychotherapy sessions that occur between the monthly sessions. 

People with PTSD often have a hyperactive amygdala, their part of the brain that regulates fear and anger. When aroused, it causes them to feel stressed and undergo “fight or flight” responses. This is why traditional psychotherapy is difficult because discussion surrounding sensitive topics could trigger it. Additionally, since MDMA regulates the amygdala, this allows for the open discussion of sensitive topics, without triggering the patients “flight or fight” response. 

MDMA may improve PTSD symptoms with psychotherapy.
Source: Clearvue Health

The following Ted Talk by Brad Burge furthers the details of why MDMA can be used to treat PTSD

YouTube Preview Image

 

So why is this important?

PTSD affects 7-8 out of 100 people throughout their lives, so it is important there is a clear treatment path. As well, it opens up the possibility for MDMA to be researched into other forms of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.

– Martin Au-yeung

Mental Health: The Undiscussed Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The mental health consequences of COVID-19 receive less attention than the epidemiology, transmission patterns, and management of the virus. Policy makers have implemented several important measures to help mitigate the spread of the virus, but have provided less consideration to the mental health effects on individuals. 

Image: Engin AkyurCC0 

Do you find yourself stressed and anxious as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

If so, you are not alone: 

Researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the research technology company Delvinia conducted a national survey with over 4000 respondents ages 18 and older, that revealed that 19% of Canadians experienced moderate to severe anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With 18.7% reporting that they felt depressed, and 27.2% reporting that they engaged in binge-drinking. 

The results were fairly consistent between men and women, with women experiencing slightly higher percentages overall. 

Anxiety levels are shown to decrease with age as the majority of respondents experiencing moderate-severe anxiety were in the 18-39 age group. The percentage of respondents that reported feeling depressed and lonely follow the same trend, with individuals in the 18-39 age group having the highest percentage, followed by the 40-59, and 60+ age groups.

38.8% of individuals who felt depressed reported feeling very worried about finances and 34% lost their jobs or are no longer working due to the pandemic.

It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic affects not only physical health, but mental health as well. The rapid direct contact transmission of COVID-19 resulted in the enforcement of lockdowns to stop the spread of the disease. Social distancing, isolation, and the closure of educational institutes, workplaces, and entertainment venues urged people to stay in their homes to stop the transmission of the virus. These restrictive measures have undoubtedly affected the mental health of individuals in Canada.

In addition, the closing of businesses due to COVID-19 has led to financial stress for business owners and employees. The worry associated with having decreased or no income leads to and may aggravate symptoms of depression.

The COVID‐19 pandemic has had and will continue to have an impact on society. It is important to understand that mitigation measures are necessary to combat the virus, all while recognizing the mental health effects. However, there are ways to better your mental health during these difficult times.

MENTAL HEALTH TIPS:

  • Self-care is very important at this time. Reach out to your social supports, try to get enough sleep, eat healthy, & exercise. Do the things you would normally do to support your health but use caution and follow health and safety guidelines.
  • Seek information from reliable news sources only. Limit checking in on the latest news to short, defined periods. 
  • Take the recommended precautions as outlined by Health Canada and other credible health agencies: continue washing your hands, covering your mouth during coughs & sneezes, etc.
  • Consider reaching out to mental health resources. Or, call 8-1-1 any time of the day for help navigating the mental health system

Image: by kike vega CC0

 

– Sarah Ghoul