Feeling increasingly anxious when scrolling Facebook or Instagram? Maybe social media is fueling your social anxiety symptoms.
For many people, social media is a big part of daily life. If you wake up in the morning and grab your phone for the latest Twitter updates, you’re not alone.
About 72% of people in the United States currently use at least one social media platform. That’s more than 223 million people checking out social media feeds.
How you react to social media depends on many factors. If you live with mental health conditions, such as an anxiety disorder, social media use may have a particular effect on your symptoms.
In general, if you live with social anxiety, you may benefit from some aspects of social media. But it’s more likely that some of your symptoms will increase or intensify.
Social anxiety disorder is the second most common anxiety disorder. It affects approximately 12.1% of U.S. adults at some point.
When you live with social anxiety disorder, you may have persistent fears about being in social situations. You might also constantly worry that other people will judge you or be focused on you at all times.
These concerns often impact how you function in the world and relate to others.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth Edition (DSM-5), a reference handbook used by many mental health professionals, outlines the criteria for diagnosing social anxiety disorder.
According to its criteria, symptoms of social anxiety must be present for at least 6 months and include:
- significant fear or anxiety of being judged
- significant fear or anxiety of being in social situations
- avoidance of social situations, or intense fear and anxiety when exposed to them
- fear or anxiety doesn’t match the possible threat that the situation poses
- intense distress or impairment in occupational, social, and cognitive areas
Both children and adults can experience symptoms of social anxiety disorder. Only a mental health pro can accurately diagnose this condition.
New followers, “likes,” enthusiastic comments — all of these can trigger the reward system in your mind. These social media boosts can cause the brain to release dopamine, a “feel good” hormone.
Feeling rewarded can subconsciously encourage you to keep checking to see if you have new likes, comments, or followers.
If you stop checking social media, the lack of positive reinforcement could actually cause you to experience anxiety. According to a study from 2015, decreases or changes in dopamine may increase your chances of feeling anxious.
But what happens if you already live with anxiety symptoms?
It depends. Everyone is different and many factors may be …….
Source: https://psychcentral.com/anxiety/social-media-cause-anxiety