Sunday 14 February 2010

News - 'Internet addiction' linked to depression, says study - BBC News

Research published by Leeds University suggests a link between internet addiction and depression, reports BBC News (3 February 2010).

Researcher Dr Catriona Morrison comments: "The internet now plays a huge part in modern life, but its benefits are accompanied by a darker side. While many of us use the internet to pay bills, shop and send e-mails, there is a small subset of the population who find it hard to control how much time they spend online, to the point where it interferes with their daily activities. Our research indicates that excessive internet use is associated with depression, but what we don't know is which comes first - are depressed people drawn to the internet or does the internet cause depression? Now we need to investigate the nature of that relationship and consider the issue of causation."

For more news stories about mental health, counselling and psychotherapy, please visit www.therapyme.com.

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