Psychosis from Using Social Media?

The title of this article could certainly be a cause for worry, as almost all of us use some form of social media daily.

source: pixabay

Researchers at the Charité recently reported a rare case of psychosis believed to be induced by ‘Twitter’, an online short-form communication system [1]. The article, titled ‘Twitter Psychosis: Rare Variation or Distinct Syndrome’, describes the development of psychosis in a 31-year-old female, Mrs. C, which coincided with the excessive use of Twitter. Mrs. C had no previous history of psychiatric illness prior to the episode of “twitter-induced psychosis”. Even her family history was clean. The authors conclude that social media like Twitter might have the ability to induce psychosis in predisposed users [1].

Twitter can induce psychosis in predisposed users

This may be the first documented case of psychosis being caused by Twitter, but such computer-mediated psychosis was already reported in 2011. Nitzan et al. talk about three patients who also experienced a psychotic episode, which coincided with excessive computer-mediated communication (CMC), such as Facebook or chats [2]. Similar to the case of Mrs.C, none of these patients had a history of psychiatric illness and also described symptoms akin to the ‘Twitter Psychosis’ episode, such as misinterpretation of information and hyperpersonal relationships with strangers.

Facebook can help people suffering from depression

Importantly, however, all these patients had turned to the internet as a refuge from loneliness, emotional distress and job insecurities. At the other end of the spectrum, studies have found that Facebook can actually help people suffering from depression [4]. Thus, CMC is capable of generating broad psychopathological phenomena especially in vulnerable individuals. Now, you can go back to your Facebook page since you know that casual use of social media is not going to make you psychotic but can actually have a positive effect. But remember to read ''Like, Dislike or Disregard'' on March 1 for more about Facebook and mental health.

[1] Kalbitzer et al, J Nerv Ment Dis, 2014
[2] Nitzan et al, Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci, 2011
[3] Mota Pereira, Scientific World Journal, 2014

by Apoorva Rajiv Madipakkam, PhD Student AG Sterzer
This article originally appeared in CNS Volume 7, Issue 4, Communication and Social Media