Social media addiction is on the rise. Even though social media can be super beneficial, it can also create problems. Social media isn’t entirely good or entirely bad, it depends on how we use it.
If you or your loved one has a social media addictive personality while also struggling with mental health issues like depression or anxiety should reach out to the addiction treatment providers, who offer treatment for dual diagnosis.
What Is Social Media Addiction?
When individuals get a share, a “like” or a comment on their post they receive a surge of dopamine. Although the chemical hook is a significant aspect of addiction, other behavioral or process dependencies such as sex, gambling, and game addiction are just as real.
Whenever people who are addicted to social networking sites stop using them, they experience real psychological symptoms of withdrawal, according to studies.
However, professionals understand that social addiction to social media’s a severe problem that falls under the heading of behavioral addiction. This phrase refers to an overreliance on a single activity that has negative consequences.
If an individual’s online activities become obsessive and interfere with their healthy, daily life, they may require addiction treatment services.
In an attempt to address internet addiction amongst their users, Instagram and Facebook announced recent changes to their respective applications. The decision comes amid mounting concerns about productivity losses and social skills as a result of people wasting a lot of their time on the computer.
But what does that signify to be addicted to social networking sites? Interestingly, even though social networking sites can be just as addictive as cigarettes or alcohol, there’s still no formal diagnosis procedure.
Why Do People Use Social Media to Heal?
Humans are sociable beings by nature. To thrive in society, they need the company of other people, as well as strong relationships with them. Both have a significant effect on happiness and overall mental health. This helps you cope with the battles of life, and sometimes even increases life expectancy.
A lack of emotionally rewarding bonds can put your mental well-being at risk. Most of us use social platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat to find and talk with one another in today’s society. While every platform has its own set of advantages, it will never be an adequate replacement for real human connection.
To activate the endorphins that alleviate anxiety and keep you feeling healthier, happier, and optimistic, you must connect with humans on a deeper level. Investing far too much of your time on the internet can cause you to feel increasingly isolated and lonely. It can also exacerbate mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety.
If you are spending too much time on the internet and are experiencing feelings of unhappiness, frustration, dissatisfaction, or loneliness, it is time to re-evaluate your internet habits and establish a better balance.
Dual Diagnosis and Co-Occurrence
Comorbidity, or the interaction between two or even more illnesses at the same time, is referred to as co-occurring or comorbid disorders. These can happen at the same time or one right after another (the diagnosis of which is called the dual diagnosis). The treatment of co-occurring conditions is vital since the interconnections between both illnesses might intensify the problems.
For example, anxiety can be exacerbated by addiction to social media. If that’s the case, you’ll need to understand how to handle anxiety-inducing social media cues. The pressure to always maintain a specific image on social media might make you miserable. When others consistently disregard your postings, you may become melancholy as a result of unmet expectations.
Treatment for two diagnoses is critical to address both the addiction and the symptoms of mental illness. if you’re dealing with both. Your addiction may be chronic. You might have to go for a residential rehabilitation program.
Barriers to Treatment
The biggest barrier that treatment providers face is the lack of proper diagnosis criteria for social media addiction. The growing use of tech is related to recorded cases of high usage, which typically has detrimental health repercussions, according to WHO.
The issue has achieved the scale of a substantial public health problem in an increasing number of nations and jurisdictions. The problem is that we believe this is happening by chance, but the truth is that it is happening on purpose. For example, several tactics are employed on YouTube to get the auto playback running so that you can watch the very next video.
And since there is also so much misinformation over the internet, it makes it difficult for people to go out and seek help because, for most people, social media addiction doesn’t online with the general perception of “addiction.”
Summary
Social media isn’t entirely good or entirely bad, it depends on how we use it; however, social media addiction is very real and does require intervention. Social networking sites are more addictive than cigarettes or alcohol, and there’s no proper clinical diagnosis that can identify an individual being addicted to social media.
Professionals understand that social addiction to social media’s a severe problem that falls under the heading of behavioral addiction, and when individuals share, “like” or post something on the internet, they have a surge of dopamine and it contributes to the cycle of addiction
Social media addiction can co-occur with other illnesses. The treatment is vital since the interconnections between both illnesses might intensify the problems.
If you or a friend or colleague is suffering from social media addiction and it is affecting their lives, maybe it is time for an intervention.
