Today, social media addiction has become a common problem that significantly affects individuals' daily lives and mental health. Clinical Psychologist Simay Yılmaz said, “Have you ever realized that you lose yourself for hours while browsing social media? If you have had this experience, you are not alone” and stated that this addiction can be overcome with EMDR treatment.
Stating that social media; Although it started in order to communicate with family and friends at first, it turned into a hobby over time, Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU) Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology. Assist. Simay Yılmaz said, “You may enjoy using social media and spend a long time of the day on social media, but can you say that you are addicted to social media?”
“Not everyone who uses social media develops addiction”
Although social media addiction is not officially considered a disorder according to the American Psychological Association, it is possible to talk about the physical and psychological effects of harmful use of social media. Clinical Psychologist Simay Yılmaz said, “You may be using social media so much that scrolling through photos and videos may interfere with other areas of your life. Not everyone who uses social media develops addiction, but increased social media use is positively correlated with increased social media addiction.”
“You may be increasing your social media use to get back to the prize”
Explaining how social media is addictive, Ss. Assist. Simay Yılmaz said, “Every time you log in to your favorite apps on social media, the brain releases dopamine, which is associated with a sense of pleasure. When you experience more dopamine after using social media for a long time, the brain perceives this as a reward and wants to repeat the reward. However, as the dopamine that makes you feel good decreases, you may be increasing your social media use in order to return to the reward.”
Addiction treatment possible with EMDR
Stating that the treatment of social media addiction differs according to both the level of addiction and the needs of the person, IGU Psychology Department Res. Assist. Simay Yılmaz said, “One of the therapy methods recently used in the treatment of social media addiction is EMDR. EMDR is used as a treatment method developed by Shapiro in the 1980s for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. In recent years, it has been used in the treatment of addiction as well as in many psychological disorders. Addiction is generally associated with traumatic experiences and stress. EMDR therapy is also used to alleviate the emotional distress caused by traumatic experiences and to address the main points that cause addiction in the person. With EMDR, it is ensured that the person remembers the triggering factors in the addiction and reprocesses the emotional experiences.”
Stating that social media addiction, like other types of addiction, is a preventable and manageable problem, Yılmaz said, “However, it is very important for the person to be aware of this issue in order to solve and manage the problem.”
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