Does the internet attract or create people suffering with depression?

i think the internet attracts all kinds of people. i guess if you think about it depressed people might be more attracted then others.

If you walk down the street, passing people but never really interacting with them, you may never know if they’re suffering from depression or not. However, engaging with the same number of people in a forum such as Fluther may reveal more about them, enabling you to have deeper insight into their situation. In other words, I don’t think it attracts or creates depressed people so much as makes it easier to meet them.

could not have said it better.

I do not believe that the internet creates depression in people. It can, however, take a great deal of your time and concentration (if you let it) that can change the focus of your life. Some people have a tendency to withdraw from the rest of the world when they become involved with the computer – thereby missing out on a whole host of activities that would release endorphins and dopamine in your brain to help you feel good. It should be balanced with the rest of life’s activities.

@laureth ditto!

Definitely attracts. When I’m depressed I definitely tend to linger online longer. When I feel Ihave a good life balance I see the internet as a tool and don’t need to be online really. I still use the internet but mostly as a tool to talk to my boyfriend or study languages (my passion) not just idle for hours. I think lots of other depressed people probably hide in the folds of the internets too. Yes, one can form real connectioins to others online but I think healthy (mentally) people have a better balance in life because they are generally more motivated, more social, and don’t use the intternet as a crutch. Justt my observations though.

@hug_of_war Thank you for your candor.

I think it mostly attracts people with depression because a lot of us use this medium as a way out or use the internet as a distraction from the gripping depression. I know fighting my depression I use this as a way out of deep emotional distress because it keeps my mind focused on something other then my problems. I don’t believe the internet creates depression but can create addictive behaviors.

@TheBlackRanger Appreciate your answering thanks.

There’s another thing(out of internet) people don’t know could help to ease their pain/depression. The problem is that people are more accustomed to use internet for every solve every problem in their live. They becomes over consumed by it.
But still,we can’t deny internet in our life. It’s a necessity for human life in this modernization and globalization era.

Both.

Maybe. the internet has created a whole new group of people that now watach porn, that never did before. its the easy access and freedom to watch, thats created this problem.

The internet was created as a tool of information. it has not turned out that way, completely.

I don’t think the Internet is a problem in addition to experiencing rich real-life social communities. Same goes for phones, television and MP3 players.

Since we don’t have advanced 3-D virtual reality connections, our perception of other people remains limited. Internet it’s mostly text, like on Fluther. Phones are about voices. Video conference and webcam meetings have bandwidth limits. There are dozens of facial muscles our brains are able to interpret. We also need touch. Wired gloves are not good enough (yet?).

It’s not the internet itself that’s causing or responsible for depression. It’s the fact that being on the internet for hours a day means less social interaction and more isolation and withdrawal from society, which is what exacerbates symptoms of depression. An already depressed person is more likely to be attracted to the internet but that doesn’t mean it’s actually the root cause of the illness.

Uh oh, @HTDC – what if the Internet is my social interaction? ;)

@laureth Oh I don’t see anything wrong with that, I’m in the same situation, if it makes us happy then who cares. But for some people this time spent away from the physical outside world has more detrimental than positive effects.

@hug_of_war I agree.

It works both ways. I think depressed people are attracted because it is a way to meet people without leaving their homes. It can be daunting to think of going out when you are depressed. Even worse, when depressed, you imagine you are unlikeable and unlovable and it will be impossible to make friends or find lovers in the real world.

But on the internet you don’t have to do anything to meet people. They are all there. You can join any conversation without saying “excuse me.” You can find out information about people without even asking them. You can see their lives.

Also important, the internet is huge and the people with same interests can easily find each other and congregate together. In real life, there might not be someone with your interests within a thousand miles.

For another thing, it can help people who are depressed to get better. At least, it helped me, so I know it’s possible. So the internet certainly attracts people with depression.

It is also possible that it aids people in remaining depressed or getting more depressed. Sometimes you meet people online, but it is impossible to meet them in real life. That can be depressing. Sometimes you ask for help and people don’t know what they are doing and they hurt you rather than help you. Sometimes there are cliques and whatnot, and you can get cut out or harassed, just as in real life.

There’s not a simple yes or no answer here. The internet, I believe can have both a positive and a negative impact on people with depression. Like most things, it depends on where you’re coming from, and the kind of experience you have on the web.

If I had a mental illness, I’d keep it to myself and not share it with strangers on the Internet.

i think its a matter of what you are subjetcting your self to. too much of anything is going to have some kind of effect on you. if your on the internet researching for a book or for school im sure its going to have a positive effect. atleats i hope so, because i use the internet to gather information for my own personal projects and i don’t want to end up depressed from it.

GA @wundayatta . Depression plus Aspergers Syndrome make it almost impossible for me to interact with others F2F. My only connection with supportive people, many of whom have “been there before” is on the net, gives me some reason to hope. If not for the Fluther community, I would most likely have given up and eaten a bullet months ago.

Well I don’t know entirely but I would vouch that it is a safe medium and many people that are depressed might not feel safe in the real world…

Not so much attract as be one of many aids or distractions for depressed people. This could be good as in getting people socializing, making plans to meet and share activities or just talk like we do on fluther or it could become destructive like when people become consumed with SIMS personas and WWC to the point they start neglecting outside life and responsibilities. Depressed people are vulnerable and without support they can find plenty of destructive outlets via the internet.

Personally, I’m glad the internet was accessible when I was living far from friends and family, not working, had a self-destructing partner and was becoming very depressed myself. The internet gave me distractions but also kept me connected to a support system of friends that helped me as I went through that spell.

I ajree strongly with @lynneblundell .Many depressed people cannot face others F2F, including therapists. The anonymous input and support from internet users, especially on a site with a strong community feel, such as Fluther is very helpful and encouraging,, much like therapy groups.

I doubt the internet attracts depressed people any more than Starbucks or book stores or libraries or endless soap operas on TV, sports spectator, or any other solitary leisure activity.

@ucme Your welcome :)

incidentally I had someone email me on a dating site the other day telling me how fantastic I looked and seemed very polite. I read his profile and he sounded a little dodgy… so I politely declined the invitation to meet up with him and even in the first instance talk to him online… he replied by telling me that it was no wonder I was single and that I am a fucking ugly pathetic cunt. It seems that the internet is not only a magnet for depressed people but also for those crazy disrespectful people too that need to hide behind a smokescreen that allows them to say whatever they like. Unfortunately I imagine this is all too often aimed at the unsuspecting aforementioned depressives like myself… A dangerous combination one would think.

needless to say that I’ve deleted my profile which was incidentally only left up after a stint of “looking” last year, no-one needs this kind of abuse..I’m pretty sure when I’m ready I’ll meet the guy in real life

@lynneblundell You’re very wise to be cautious.I wouldn’t go near an internet dating site. Damned “meat markets”.Celibacy is preferable IMHO.