Using technology to improve mental well-being

Recently, the Singapore Coroner’s Court ruled out foul play in the tragic death of American technology entrepreneur Autumn Radtke. State coroner Janet Wang found that the young CEO of First Meta — a bitcoin exchange start-up — had intended to end her life by jumping from the 16th floor of Block 8 Cantonment Close in February. Radtke was facing severe work-related stress and financial difficulties, which might have ultimately driven her to suicide.

When a young person chooses to end his or her life, people are immediately inclined to ask why. What could have caused a successful and previously happy individual to take such drastic action? With the number of suicides among young people (below the age of 29) having risen by 76 per cent between 1993 and last year, as shown by the Samaritans of Singapore’s July 2014 national statistics, we often wonder whether contemporary society is pushing young people too far.

The rise of the Internet often features prominently in this particular manifestation of the blame game. Accounts of Radtke’s death indicated that she had researched suicide methods online. Several high-profile suicide cases, such as the death of British teenager Tallulah Wilson, have been linked to social-networking forums, while former The New York Times editor Bill Keller has blamed the Internet for making young people more antisocial. But is there any evidence that the social Internet is harming our mental health?

This is a complex question, but the balance of evidence suggests that claims about the harmful effects of the Internet are usually based more on irrational mistrust rather than hard evidence. On the contrary, the Internet, as a facilitator of online communication, has tremendous potential to enhance mental well-being.

RIGHT USE OF TECHNOLOGY

Technophobia is nothing new. In the 16th century, Swiss scientist Conrad Gessner warned that the printing press would unleash a harmful torrent of information that would corrupt and confuse the mind, while more recent technology such as the television and video games has been blamed for everything from lowering attention spans to promoting youth violence.

When faced with hysteria, it is best to take a rational approach, and the work of scientists can provide a healthy sense of perspective. A lot of research has been conducted since the birth of the Internet, the sum total of which points to a more complex set of relationships between Internet use and mental well-being.

One of the most infamous early studies of Internet use was conducted by a team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, who found small correlations between Internet use and increases in loneliness and depression, and with reductions in the average participant’s social network. The American press lapped up the findings. The New York Times declared a “Sad, lonely world discovered in cyberspace” on its front page and the pervasive notion of the isolating Internet was born.

Yet, a more detailed look at the results painted quite a different picture. Two psychologists from New York University pointed out that average levels of depression actually decreased during the study and the size of the participants’ extended social networks actually went up.

Since then, researchers have gathered plentiful evidence of a more positive role of online activity in promoting connectedness and well-being. One psychologist from the Open University found that computer-mediated communication encouraged people to talk more openly, while researchers in the Netherlands found that the extent of online communication among adolescents predicted the closeness of their friendships.

Nonetheless, as the Internet has become progressively more social, the focus on possible negative effects has shifted to social media. Again, the evidence is mixed. Some researchers have documented associations between Facebook use and increased loneliness, while others have found that higher social network use is associated with enhanced life satisfaction, larger and more varied real-life friend networks and more frequent communication with friends.

Most people will have felt the occasional pang of jealousy when seeing their Facebook friends’ holiday photos and many will admit to reflexively checking their phone during lulls in conversation. Still, that is no reason to conclude that the social Internet is inherently bad, and there are many ways in which online communication and social media can actually help those in need.

Lack of awareness and social stigma are two of the biggest barriers to help-seeking. As such, support organisations are increasingly turning to online tools that help overcome these obstacles. Email befriending services appeal to those who do not feel ready to speak to a counsellor in person, while online discussion and support groups have been found to greatly help those suffering from common mental issues such as depression and anxiety.

These are only two examples of the myriad ways the Internet can potentially enhance mental well-being. As people increasingly turn to online resources when seeking medical advice — it is estimated that 5 per cent of Internet searches are health-related — mental health providers can assist those in need by providing high-quality information and opening channels of communication.

The Internet offers the possibility of more effective treatments. Trials of online cognitive-behavioural therapy programmes for the treatment of depression have yielded encouraging results and preliminary evidence suggests that such intervention may also be viable for treating anxiety disorders.

The promise of technology is the power to improve lives. Change often makes people uncomfortable, but we should be glad that social Internet affords us more opportunities to nurture relationships and access valuable information. By harnessing these powers in the right way, there is hope that more tragedies such as the death of Autumn Radtke can be avoided.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jonathan Ramsay is a psychologist and lecturer at SIM University.