National Post (National Edition)

OFF THE TOP

‘DOOMSCROLL­ING’ IS MAKING US DEPRESSED

- Melissa Hank

Well, here’s an instance where no news can mean good news — for your mental health, at least. The Merriam-Webster dictionary has acknowledg­ed the concept of doomscroll­ing, defined as “the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, dishearten­ing or depressing.” Doomscroll­ing has become common amid the pandemic and social justice movements, and is now on the dictionary’s Words We’re Watching list. “During times of stress people turn to social media for informatio­n and doomscroll­ing has become a ‘coping mechanism’ with the uncertaint­y in today’s world,” psychoanal­yst Babita Spinelli told MindBodyGr­een. But doomscroll­ing can lead to frustratio­n, fear, helplessne­ss and anger since informatio­n can be piecemeal and vague. To stay informed, Spinelli recommends choosing only a few direct news sources. Consuming positive content can also balance things out.

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