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Using Social Media to Diagnose Depression

October 18, 2018 in Social Media Guide

twitter-292989_1280So often, we hear about the damage that social media is having on our mental health, from isolating ourselves to avoiding face-to-face human interaction to experiencing FOMO. A recent study however, tried to see how social media wasn’t affecting mental health, but instead how it can help diagnose mental illnesses, specifically with depression.

The study reviewed the Facebook statuses of 683 people who consented to have their profiles analyzed. Of those, 114 had been diagnosed with depression, so for each person who had been diagnosed, there were 5 others being compared to them who were not. The researchers used a time frame based around the months leading up to depressed person’s diagnosis, resulting in a total of analyzing over half a million Facebook statuses!

What did the researchers discover? By organizing that statuses and ensuing conversations into categories, they found patterns of supposed depression-associated “language markers.” These are words and phrases that had more negative emotional connotations, including sadness, hostility, and loneliness. Those who used these also were more likely to use first person pronouns like “I” and “me” more often too.

Through these “language markers,” the researchers discovered that they were able to predict the depressed StockSnap_AF3ULYHHIMindividual’s diagnosis with significant accuracy. This was especially true in the three to six months before the diagnosis. To the researchers, these statuses included words that overlapped with those often found in medical screening surveys for depression, implying that it can be adapted in a way so diagnosis can be done electronically.

The ability to screen for depression by using social media is also important because it allows for those who are vulnerable a more accessible opportunity to get diagnosed. For example, it can be difficult for a primary care provider to screen for it in a brief session. Also, by having the statuses and information already there can make it easier for those who are hesitant to reach out to submit it instead of speaking up if they’re uncomfortable.

The article makes sure to reiterate that the study had the participants consent to submitting their statuses for analysis and that they did not use data provided by Facebook. This should also hold true for potential future diagnosing. Between having mental health be a very personal issue and being in a time where social media companies have notoriously been selling data, it’s important that the choice ultimately lies with the individual in question.

Do you think that social media is a good indicator to tell when someone is at risk of a mental illness? Do you think that it’s a good idea for people to submit their profiles if they want to get screened for depression?

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Global Funding and Adolescent Mental Health

October 17, 2018 in Educate Yourself

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We recently talked about how mental health treatment can be extremely inaccessible for adolescents both here in the United States and across the pond in England. We also talked last week about World Mental Health Day and how it’s theme centered around young people’s mental health in the changing world. Even so, the Earth is large, and these are just glimpses at how much (but mostly how little) treatment adolescents receive worldwide, not just with mental health, but as a whole.

A large reason that adolescent health treatment is unavailable is because of the lack of money going into it, and as researchers found in the Creditor Reporting System, the funding for adolescent health as a whole is appalling. For making up 25% of the world’s population, not even 2% of global health funding goes towards adolescents aged 10 to 24. Of the 1.6% of global health funding for adolescents, about 70% went to HIV-AIDS related causes in sub-Saharan Africa, with the most of the rest going to other physical health issues, including tuberculosis and interpersonal violence. What’s remaining most likely barely touches the surface of mental health, much less on a global scale.

The failure to administer funding for adolescents for any sort of health treatment may come from the idea thatCloseup of stethoscope isolated on white table they are healthy, after all, they’re young and bright and most of their bodies are fully functioning and agile…right? The assumption certainly holds true for people, though more are recently starting to realize that adolescent health – both physical and mental – are vital and predictive of health throughout the life course. This includes nutrition habits that develop during this time and how most mental disorders begin to take root during adolescence.

There have been some changes in how people are approaching treating adolescent health, though. The World Health Organization devoted some time in their 2018 monitoring report for Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health to the topic. In it, they mentioned how adolescents are not only the most vulnerable in humanitarian settings, but also the catalyst for change. They also made sure to address mental health, stating that self-harm is one of the leading causes of death in older adolescents. The report also mentions that 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental health disorders. 

Through the rise in conversation and more people being open to talking about mental health, perhaps there might be a change in how accessible treatment can be for adolescents. For now, however, statistics remain grim. 

Why do you think so little funding is provided for both adolescent mental and physical health? How do you think policymakers and funders can learn that adolescent health is needed?

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Why Does Organizing Help with Anxiety?

October 16, 2018 in Educate Yourself

StockSnap_0NV2FAVPAXWe’ve heard it before (in fact, we’ve even discussed it here): tips to help de-stress and relax often include getting organized. Whether that be through cleaning out your closet, getting a planner, or buying color-coordinated folders and binders, we feel some sort of satisfaction when things are put in their place, even if it isn’t relevant to what may be causing anxiety.

But why is that the case? Even considering organizing sends a calming rush sometimes. De-cluttering and putting things in order are popular activities in order to help with stress, and there have been several studies that have come up with possible reasons as to why this happens.

Clutter and messes can be a visual representation of the mind, which can therefore make your own disorganized thoughts that much more stressful. These visual stimuli can make it harder to focus because the business overwhelms the visual cortex. This is particularly true if the clutter has nothing to do with what’s currently stressing you out too, therefore making them task-irrelevant objects. Identifying what you need to focus on and complete becomes more difficult as a result.

There are even health benefits associated with organization, and as a result, cleanliness. A survey found thatpegs-2664512_1920 those who make their bed and/or sleep with clean sheets are much more likely to get a better night’s sleep. Other studies found that those who keep a schedule, set goals for an exercise regimen, and keep a clean home are more likely to commit to being active.

On the mental health side, studies have established that there is some sort of link between organization and depression. In one study, women who felt that their spaces were cluttered and had “unfinished projects” were more likely to be depressed compared to those who described theirs as restorative. The former also had higher levels of cortisol, or the hormone that controls stress. Clutter can also make people self-conscious and worry about how others perceive them. The fear of being judged for a messy space can contribute to a worsened mental state, particularly because of the human need to be accepted by others.

The human body itself is incredibly organized and well-functioning. Our bodies love routine and order – think of circadian rhythms (the way that our behaviors follow a daily cycle). We know to sleep when it’s dark and complete activities when it’s light, for example. Some believe that our bodies strive to be organized inside and out, so having an organized and clean environment gives our bodies some peace of mind.

So, there are several reasons that a lot of wellbeing lists include cleaning up and getting organized. There are likely a lot more contributing factors, but next time you clean out your backpack or color code your closet, you can have a better understanding as to why that’s the case.

Why do you think organizing helps with stress relief? If you’ve tried it before, do you think that it works?

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New Music Friday

October 12, 2018 in LINKS

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Music can help us in many ways. As several posts here have discussed, it can be particularly helpful when it comes to calming anxiety, providing an escape, or even helping us feel justified in moments when emotions can feel too overwhelming. Music players allow us to create our own playlists depending on our mood, or create ones for us depending on what we like. YouTube allows you to get creative, featuring not just songs, but remixes, mashups, and strange combinations that you can’t find anywhere else.

Finding new music can be difficult, though. While the internet has an infinite of music to search for, it’s just that, infinite. Even finding music that is similar to what you currently listen to and actually like can be daunting, but the Internet is here to help, offering tools to help you find new music that’s refreshing, but also familiar.

If you’re looking for similar music to help with concentration and mental health, or if you just want to find new artists to listen to, here are a few websites that make the process a little bit easier:

Gnoosic The musical subset of Gnod (the Global Network of Discovery), Gnoosic has you enter three artists or bands that you like. They can be from any genre, and don’t need to match. From there, Gnoosic recommends you a new artist that they predict that you would like, a song of theirs to play from Spotify, and three options: “I like it,” “I don’t like it,” and “I don’t know.” Regardless of which option you choose, Gnoosic repeats the process, using your choices to narrow down their recommendations. 

music-1925056_640Live Plasma Live Plasma looks rather simple at first glance. It’s just a search box where you put in an artist that you like. Once you enter that, however, the page suddenly fills with a web, the artist you searched for at the center. Though intimidating at first, Live Plasma recommends a few artists that they think are similar to your chosen artist, and then recommends ones similar to those artists, and so on. Even better? If you click on any of the artists, there’s a small play button that allows you to listen to one of their songs so you can see what kind of style they have.

TuneFind TuneFind is a little different than the other websites in that you’ve probably heard the songs that they’re listing already. You may not know what it is though and most likely heard it on a TV show or a movie. TuneFind allows you to look up that song that you found particularly calming or inspirational that played in the background during a scene on an episode last night: simply search the TV show or movie, find the relevant episode if it’s the former, and TuneFind lists the songs that played throughout. Sometimes, TuneFind makes it even easier and will list what specific scene the song plays in too.

How do you look for new music? Are there any resources you use to look for music to help with stress relief?

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World Mental Health Day

October 10, 2018 in Educate Yourself

If you’ve logged onto any of your social media feeds today, you may have seen at least one post or hashtag about how it’s World Mental Health Day. First established in 1992, October 10th helps gives people around the world the opportunity to spread awareness about mental illness, whether it be through their own personal stories or making resources more readily available. There have been themes since 1996, including “Depression: A Global Crisis,” “Mental Health in the Workplace,” and “Mental Health and Human Rights.”

This year’s theme is “Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World.” As the World Healthearth-1149733_1280 Organization describes, things are rapidly changing during adolescence, and added pressures, technology, and humanitarian crises can all have extreme effects on young people. 

Since today’s goal is to discuss how mental health affects people globally, here are a few recently published articles for World Mental Health Day from international sites addressing what’s being done in different countries:

Liberia: This weekend, 19 child and adolescent mental health clinicians graduated from the Carter Center Mental Health Program in Liberia in an effort to begin integrating mental health support into the larger healthcare system. The speakers emphasized throughout the ceremony about the onset of mental illness (one even described it as the “pandemic of the 21st century”), and called on the Liberian government to use more of its budget to mental health services.

Australia: In its first round of announcements in government budget spending, Australia plans on focusing on eating disorders and mental illness in youths and Indigenous people. According to Australia’s health minister, more than 75% of mental health problems emerge before the age of 25, and eating disorders can have one of the highest mortality rates among psychiatric illnesses. Indigenous people are also incredibly at risk of mental illness and suicide. The article also suggests that mental illness has become the leading cause of premature death in Australians and is the primary reason Australians visit their general practitioner.

India: citiesRISE, an organization to help improve mental health among youths living in cities, chose Chennai as one of five cities to implement a system addressing the issue. As the article discusses, almost one in five of people living in Chennai are between the ages of 15 and 29, and has the second highest rate of suicide in the country. There are several reasons listed as potential causes for mental illness, including but not limited to caste and religious discrimination, gender bias and pressure not to have friends of the opposite sex, and academic pressure.

People have the opportunity to use today to share whatever they want or are comfortable with about mental health. Whether that’s by storytelling or spreading information, the conversation about mental illness continues to become more mainstream.

Have you seen any posts about World Mental Health Day? How do you think people can share information and educate others about mental health?

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Dealing with Burnout

October 9, 2018 in Educate Yourself

match-143179_640It can be difficult not to get overwhelmed with a heavy workload, whether it be for school, a job, or even being tasked with chores and errands. Sometimes, the stress associated with work and a large amount of things to do, no matter if you enjoy it or not, can lead to burnout, or an extended period of time that involves a decline in job performance. This is due to exhaustion and a lack of interest in things, particularly because of overworking.

Up until recently, burning out has been associated with the workforce and jobs, and mostly with adulthood. However, studies are showing that burnouts can also occur with students, stating that the expectations that come with academic performance are similar to those in a career field. Not all burnouts result from a heavy workload though: things like a lack of support from peers, others’ success, and a lack of control can all contribute as well. They can all make you feel that you have to work even harder, or the pressure can get to be so much that it feels overwhelming, and the chances of burning out begin to significantly increase.

At a first glance, the symptoms of burnout are similar to those seen in depression, such as exhaustion, a loss of interest in things, pessimism, and poor performance. While burnout comes from external factors and depression is psychological, the two can influence each other. In fact, a study on adolescent burnout and depression has shown that the relationship is reciprocal. Those who experience burnout can later experience more severe symptoms of depression, and those who have depressive symptoms are more likely to experience burnout.

planner-2641215_1280Now that burnout is starting to be applied to adolescents as well, we can start to discuss just why today’s teenagers and young adults are experiencing it. As the study we mentioned states, burnout and depression can go hand in hand, and other studies have started to see an increase of depression in adolescents compared to those in the past. This doesn’t have to include clinical depression either: one in three adolescents experience depressive symptoms. The pressures placed on students doesn’t help either, especially with the increased feeling of competition with few spots for rewards.

The solutions offered to cope with burnout are similar to those if you’re also experiencing depressive symptoms. These include getting more sleep, unplugging, or finding non-academic or work-related activities to ease your mind. Each person is different however, and it’s up to you to play around and decide what the best ways to avoid feeling overwhelmed are.

Do you think you’ve experienced burnout? Why do you think adolescents are more at risk of experiencing it now? What do you do if you’re feeling overwhelmed from school and/or work?

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Happiness Set Point

October 8, 2018 in Be Positive

There is an idea in psychology that we all have something called a happiness set point. A happiness set point is a term used to describe our general level of happiness, and it is unique to each of us. We all have different set points, and it is possible that some people, who seem to be happier than others, have naturally higher happiness set points.

Where does our happiness set point come from? 

Your happiness set point partly comes from your genes. It also comes from our upbringing and personality traits that we develop when we are young and stay with us throughout our lives.

Does our set point change?   

Yes, but only temporarily. In general, our happiness set point has the ability to increase around positive (such as winning the lottery) and negative (you do not perform well on an exam) events. However, eventually our happiness will return to our natural set point (with the exception of a few life events). In fact, research has shown that “lottery winners and those who have undergone extreme hardship due to a health crisis or accident, within a year or so to return to the level of happiness they had prior to their life change.” Basically if something good happens, your sense of happiness rises; if something bad happens; it falls. However, eventually it all returns back to baseline.

Can I do anything about my happiness set point?

Yes! There is a way to choose to become a happier person. Huffington Post put out nine suggestions for taking control over your own happiness:

  1. Simply try.
  2. Make happiness your number-one goal.
  3. Linger on those little, positive moments.
  4. Choose mindfulness.
  5. Smile your way to happiness.
  6. Practice gratitude.
  7. Pursue happiness, find happiness – and success.
  8. Let yourself be happy.
  9. Practice compassion.

However, these are just suggestions. There are lots of other ways things you can try to raise the set point of your happiness.

What are other ways you might be able to raise your happiness set point? Try these out for a while and let us know if you notice any results!

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Do You Hold a Stigma on Mental Health?

October 5, 2018 in LINKS

The stigma that people can hold isn’t a new topic by any means when discussing mental health, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the stigma is still harmful. Though the conversation about mental health has become more open, whether it be from celebrities opening up about their experiences or the variety of apps to use as an outlet, it can still be terrifying for people to be honest about their own mental health.

In one study, 46% of adolescents felt that their parents held a stigma about their mental health, 62% felt the same with their peers, and over a third felt that their teachers held a stigma as well. The stigma felt by others based upon what they think mental health is like is known as social stigma. This can come from misinformation, a poor portrayal of mental illness in the media, or simply ignorance.

However, stigma isn’t limited to those who don’t have a mental illness and don’t understand what it’s like. Stigma can also be classified as self-stigma, or the internalized feelings people can face because of how mental health is presented and discussed by others. People may put down how they’re feeling, thinking that they’re using their mental illness as an excuse or that they’re being dramatic. They may also feel that what they’re going through makes them different, afraid that something is wrong with them that’ll change how people see them if they open up.

In an effort to help those recognize and reflect about the stigma they hold, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has come up with a quick, three question quiz about how you view mental illness. After answering the questions and giving your demographic, the quiz tells you if you hold a stigma, you don’t, or that you may hold stigma. Whatever your answer may be, NAMI offers resources to learn more about mental illness, such as the correct answers to the quiz or ways you can offer support.

Take the quiz here.

Did you take the quiz? Did you get the results that you were expecting? In what ways do you think people can reduce their stigma on mental health?

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Some Social Media Stats

October 4, 2018 in Social Media Guide

gui-2311261_1280It’s almost pointless to constantly discuss the effect that social media has on our interactions and communication without having the information to back it up. There are almost always surveys and polls released to see how people, adolescents in particular, are using social media and the effect it has on them. We’ve taken a couple of recent ones to see what the most up-to-date statistics say (but for all we know, there may be something completely new – after all, trends are always changing!).

Most Popular This easily goes to Snapchat. Maybe it’s the variety of filters that are constantly cycling or getting to consume news stories in under a minute, but 44%, almost half of teenagers say that their primary social network is Snapchat.
Biggest Decline Facebook has plummeted in use among teenagers, with only about 15% saying that they use it as their primary social network. Ironically, this is the only demographic where Facebook has suffered, reportedly the most popular with every other one except teenagers. Maybe this is the exact reason that Facebook isn’t popular anymore with those who are younger, since their parents, relatives, and even grandparents are all using it too.
Smartphone Usage Nearly all teenagers today have a smartphone – nine out of ten to be exact. The study facebook-1602262_1280notes that when this was last conducted six years ago, the number was less than half at 41%.
Communication Though not by a lot, 35% of teenagers prefer to text their friends, while 32% would rather do so in person. This could be mostly out of convenience – as the previous statistic shows, nearly all teenagers have a smartphone (and those who don’t probably have their own cell phone), but we aren’t physically around our friends all the time. Thanks to technology, we can share stories, ideas, or even a meme we come across instantly instead of waiting.

But what about the effects? We talked about loneliness and teenagers in yesterday’s post. In it, we discussed how social media can be a factor, but isn’t seen by teenagers as a major one. These statistics seem to prove this point, with about 40% of teenagers saying that using social media makes them feel less lonely, and only 13% saying that it makes them lonelier. Perhaps this is because social media is just that, social, and even though it’s not face-to-face, you’re most likely to be interacting with someone directly at some point.

Teenagers generally feel that using social media has no effect on depression, with nearly 60% saying that itStockSnap_99XL24JKQTmakes no difference in how depressed they feel. There may be several reasons for this, but something to consider is that social media is so present in our daily lives that using it almost feels like breathing. We don’t think it has any effect on us, simply because we’re so used to it.

However, this shouldn’t suggest that all adolescents have a constantly positive experience with social media. Those who measured lower on a social-emotional wellbeing scale are more likely to feel left out when using social media, and 43% feel bad if their posts don’t get any attention. The fact that more than 60% of teenagers say that they often come across racist, sexist, or homophobic content probably doesn’t help make the experience that much better either.

A final thing to note? It’s not just this generation that spends a lot of time on social media. A third of teenagers wish that their parents spent less time using their devices as well.

What are your preferred social media apps and sites? Do you think that you fit in with these findings or statistics? Why do you think that Snapchat is the most popular?

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Exploring the Causes of Loneliness

October 3, 2018 in Educate Yourself

StockSnap_IC2UDAUNFFAt a first glance, it can be difficult to tell the difference between wanting to be alone versus loneliness. When we spend a long time in the company of others, we may need some time by ourselves to recharge (this is a defining trait for introverts, but isn’t just limited to them). By being alone, we can do whatever we want without judgment, nor do we have to feel compelled to encourage and continue a conversation.

Loneliness, however, has a darker definition. While choosing to be alone can feel necessary and at times therapeutic, loneliness lacks having that choice. For whatever reason, loneliness means that the option to socialize isn’t even there, and it comes with feeling that there is no one there for you, when it’s something you may want the most.

 Studies recently have shown that there has been a spike in the number of adolescents who feel lonely, with American young adults being more likely to feel isolated compared to senior citizens. The same article reflecting on the the study makes a note that isolation can lead to stress, which can cause a biological response, and in its most extreme cases, can lead to an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes.

There can be a number of reasons as to why adolescents feel lonely, especially in recent years. Some may be StockSnap_BGYDI1LQY7quick to assume that social media is a major reason as to why teenagers feel so alone, from FOMO to the lack of face-to-face interaction, but an interview with British teenagers about the topic say that it’s more than that. In fact, they explain that it may have to do with the perception of the current generation in the eyes of older ones. Teenagers can often feel belittled by their elders and have their problems dismissed, and constant rejection due to the pressure to meet increased standards may have adolescents feel like they are not wanted and have no worth.

Teenagers also explain that they feel that their parents don’t really have an interest in how they’re feeling, and therefore are driving them further away. While this goes against the stereotype that parents are too in-your-face to teenagers, that same stereotype may cause parents to want to do the opposite, having them play less of a role. And while individuality is an important part of adolescence, with teenagers using the time to find out who they are without the help of anyone else, it’s still important that there is some sort of support during the process.

Of course, the reasons for adolescent loneliness are not limited to these few reasons, but it is still significant that the number of adolescents feeling lonely has increased. Though overwhelming and draining, there are still ways to fight it.

What do you think are reasons as to why teenagers now are feeling lonelier than ever? What do you think can be done to combat loneliness?

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