Jahnavi Sarma
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This is basically an emotional disorder that leads to mental problems like depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among others. © Shutterstock
Many people have the habit of internalising their feelings. This means that they either don't or are unable to express what they are feeling. Now researchers from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health says that adolescents who spend 3 hours or more on social media may report high levels of internalising behaviour as compared to adolescents who do not use social media at all.
Many people have the habit of bottling up their feelings. They do not realise that by doing so, they are inadvertently harming themselves. This can lead to certain adverse health conditions. Usually, it gives rise to mental disorders and causes feelings of isolation and unworthiness. This is especially true in teenagers who also have the added burden of going through a lot of issues related to growing up. In them, this may manifest as feelings of restlessness, over-sensitivity, unnatural fear, loneliness, sadness and depression. This is an emotional problem and it advances silently. So, as parents, you have to be extra vigilant to any such symptoms.
Many teenagers are today addicted to social media. Being on social media is a great way to connect with others and be social. But it also comes with some risks and disadvantages. The most common problems associated with social media are cyber-bullying and aggression. This, in turn, may cause social withdrawal.
Researchers in the new study studied the time adolescents spent on social media and two distinct types of behaviours that may indicate mental health problems. These are internalising and externalising. Symptoms of the former disorder include social withdrawal, anxiety, depression and anxiety issues. Symptoms in the latter are aggressive behaviour, being anti-social and a generally defiant attitude. JAMA Psychiatry published this study online.
Researchers studied 6,595 adolescents between the ages of 13 to 17 over 3 years. All the subjects were chosen from the federally funded Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (PATH) between 2013 and 2016. Participants had to answer questions on how much time they spent on social media and symptoms of internalising and externalising behavioural problems.
Researchers saw that only around 17 per cent of the participants did not use social media. Around 32 per cent admitted that they were on social media for less than 30 minutes. Almost 31 per cent spent 30 minutes to three hours, 12 per cent around three to six hours and 8 per cent more than six hours per day on social media. Another 9 per cent said that they experienced internalising problems and 14 per cent reported externalising problems. Around 18 per cent exhibited both the problems and 59 per cent had no problems.
Researchers hence concluded that social media did not significantly affect the mental health of teenagers. But they were also quick to point out that there is a need way to balance the benefits of social media with the possible negative health outcomes. Setting reasonable boundaries and restricting screen time may help deal with the negative outcomes.
Though this study did not find any significant risk of social media on internalising behaviour, a percentage did report this problem. Hence, researchers recommend corrective measures to address this issue.
Let us look at what exactly we mean by internalising behaviour and how it affects our health.
Being a teenager is not easy in today's world. Most teenagers today suffer from anxiety and depression. Psychologists across the world agree that this may be due to internalising behaviour. This is also referred to as internalised disorder in clinical terms and it happens when you keep your feelings bottled up instead of expressing it.
This is basically an emotional disorder that leads to mental problems like depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among others. It can also lead to poor self-confidence and self-esteem and this can have a negative impact on academic performance. Your child may become withdraws and show signs of irritation and sadness. If unchecked, it can even lead to clinical depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, stressor-related disorders and dissociative disorders. Some may also exhibit symptoms of eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa.
Though these symptoms may disappear as your child enters adulthood, it also requires gentle care and understanding on your part. Encourage your child to be more forthcoming about his feelings and encourage him to voice his thoughts. Do not be dismissive when he tries to say something.
But if the problem is severe then you may have to consult a psychiatric who may recommend tests to confirm the condition. Based on the results, your healthcare professional may prescribe anti-depressants and psychotherapy. But a more severe condition will require electroconvulsive therapy followed by psychotherapy.
Electroconvulsive therapy was earlier also known as electroshock therapy. This treatment procedure is usually used in the treatment of severe psychiatric disorders where the recommended medications may not be effective in showing any improvement in the condition. A medical professional induces seizures via brief electric stimulation of the brain. This procedure is performed under anaesthesia.
On the other hand of the spectrum, we also have a condition called the externalising behaviour or externalising disorder. Here, a person has the problem of keeping in check his or her feelings. This disorder is also very common among teenagers. At times, it can lead to anti-social activities. Other symptoms are violence, disregard for rules, hyper activity, frequent lying, kleptomania and use of foul language among others. Such teenagers may also be prone to substance abuse and subsequent addiction. Here also, as a parent, you have to try and understand the root cause of the problem and try to solve it. You may also seek professional help and treatment options may include cognitive behavioural therapy and parent management training.