Has Facebook made you psychotic?
November 22, 2012 by Amara D. Angelica
Are you lonely or vulnerable due to the loss of or separation from a loved one? Are you inexperienced with technology?
If so, you might want to read this before logging onto Facebook or Twitter after (or during) your Thanksgiving dinner.
Dr. Uri Nitzan of Tel Aviv University‘s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Shalvata Mental Health Care Center presented three in-depth case studies from his own practice linking psychotic episodes to computer-mediated communication (such as Facebook or chats), and they had those two specific things in common (and no prior major psychiatric disorder).
In each case, there was “gradual development and exacerbation of psychotic symptoms, including delusions, anxiety, confusion, and intensified use of computer communications.”
All three of Dr. Nitzan’s patients sought refuge from a lonely situation and found solace in intense virtual relationships. Although these relationships were positive at first, they eventually led to feelings of hurt, betrayal, and invasion of privacy, reports Dr. Nitzan.
“All of the patients developed psychotic symptoms related to the situation, including delusions regarding the person behind the screen and their connection through the computer,” he says.
They described a “hyperpersonal” relationship with a stranger, mistrust of the aims and identity of the other party, blurred self boundaries, misinterpretation of information, and undesirable personal exposure in cyberspace.
Two patients began to feel vulnerable as a result of sharing private information, and one even experienced tactile hallucinations, believing that the person beyond the screen was physically touching her.
The good news is that all of the patients, who willingly sought out treatment on their own, were able to make a full recovery with proper treatment and care, Dr. Nitzan says.
Factors that can contribute to a patient’s break with reality and the development of a psychotic state, he warns: the absence of non-verbal cues, and the tendency to idealize the person with whom someone is communicating, becoming intimate without ever meeting face-to-face.
(Yes, it’s only three cases, but Dr. Nitzan notes that further research is warranted to validate their hypothesis.)
Has Facebook (or other social media) driven you crazy? Confess in the computer-mediated communication below!
Comments (58)
by Peter the printer
I imagine the incidence of mental illness could be higher in this region because of the violence, insecurity, bad faith, religious extremism and possibility of death. I doubt even Facebook could add to this.
by Peter the printer
I should think there’s a higher probability of people being made psychotic by living in Israel than from social media.
Just THREE ‘studies’? I think this would fail every scientific criteria going. How does he know they weren’t psychotic already? How does he attribute social media as the cause? Could it have been that they all ate gefilter fish? It’s nonsense of course. Hardly worhy of Kurzweil.net.
by Samantha Atkins
Er, no. But lame-ass questions such as this might eventually push me over the edge.
by John Dailey
Friends, given the events subsequent to this post in Newtown and New York, you might reconsider the accompanying photograph especially the choice of weapon.
by Editor
Thanks, agreed, deleted
by Samantha Atkins
What fun having a discussion about the supposed pathology of social network use in a social network. Who the hell cares what anyone does or does not get out of FB or how often they do or do not use it or whether they do or do not have a life? I presume that people that don’t have anything better to do than weave such inane theories impossible to prove or disprove may have some kind of problem but it is not per se with the fact that they spend time on social networks.
by Walter
Social networks are basically meant for asocials.
by Gabriel
The most ridiculous thing I’ve ever so far today.
For goodness sake, the Internet itself is one giant social network — are you saying you are antisocial for posting your comment?
by Mr.X
@Gabriel: This strainof thought is common where I live.Common for old people, who have old names.
If I’m right, walter just parotts what part of the media claims.
by Gabriel
But think about it….it’s TRUE — the Internet is one giant social network….our whole world is built on social networks, and the more, the merrier.
Imagine the controversy when the phone was made available – “people who talk on the phone are antisocial because they don’t prefer face-to-face anymore”. People would laugh at something like that….the internet should be the exact same thing, but I guess isn’t quite there yet.
Face-to-face communication is the oldest form of social networking — I’m not saying it’s bad or anything, obviously, but some people seem to have this fear that it’s going to be replaced or something, or that people who prefer different mediums are anti-social, have mental disorders and what-have-you.
It’s like I expressed in my two giant posts down below — we’re living in a world getting more complex where the individual is more empowered then ever; they have to decide for themselves what works and how much, and they deserve support, not scorn. People may scoff and say I’m lacking in common sense because nothing trumps old’fashioned face-to-face networking….
But it’s not that at all — the fact is, their has been more then one form of communication and networking for generations, even if it’s letter-writing. People express themselves in different ways and experiment as they get older and find out what works for them. I’m not psychotic because I like to talk on the phone alot….if I have a fight over the phone, it’s not a sign that I’m sick and I’m phone-obsessive for goodness sake.
I like face-to-face as much as anybody else…it’s my primary way of communicating and living my life….but it’s not the only way and their is nothing wrong with that; the sanctity of face-to-face social networking isn’t endangered because I like to use the phone, write letters, or use the Internet.
And for some people, shoot, maybe they DO outright prefer other mediums; others can point this is where their is a problem, and I”m naive for not seeing it that way, but sorry for having some empathy and the idea that maybe, just maybe, it’s not that they are sick but simply prefer this form of communication the most because that’s how they feel they express themselves best. It’s not necessarily a sign that they’ve completely given up on, say, face-to-face, phone-calls or whatever…their primary way of networking simply isn’t face-to-face.
I know from experience that, for me, the more the merrier….face-to-face networking is still the best for me, but I’ve expressed myself in so many ways solely through the Internet and I’m so happy for it because it’s enabled me to grow much more then I would have without it…if somebody feels they are getting more out of life online then offline, or through letter-writing or phone-calls or whatever, this is something to empathize, not scorn and look for psychotic disorders.
by MrFriendly
I log into my facebook account (yes, i intentionally used a lower-case ‘f’) maybe once a month.
by Tony Stender
Concerning the title of this posting. “Has Facebook made you psychotic?”
I presume this is tongue in cheek since people are responsible for choosing their feelings and actions.
Nothing can make someone think do or feel anything. Further, to claim that someone has made you feel or do something is it’self a therapy issue. Cleaning this error up would be the first thing to confront and to deal with.
Imagining what does not exist is common in a world where Santa and other mystical non-existent persons and myths are considered real.
Language itself is very slippery and inefficient even face to face, so misunderstandings in online conversations simply have to be even more laced with problems.
by Christian Gehman
“Nothing can make someone think do or feel anything.” … might seem a risible claim to anyone who has visited a museum, attended a concert, or read a book. It’s not just that “art reveal the human soul” — but also that “art affects the human soul.”
by David Ish Shalom
what this article has to do with KurzweilAI? Hey guys, check yourself before publishing here such garbage
by Alastair Carnegie
“Compulsive Inventing New Psychiatric Disorders” Disorder!
Dr. Nitzan should seek help, he may have developed the symptoms of this debilitaing disorder?
by Just Me
Wonder what Twitter does to you? Psychosis in 140 characters?
I have consciously decided long ago I would never do Facebook, but twitter has captured me to the point that I am almost compulsive about it. Almost have to tweet something, like this article! :)
by Gabriel
Kind of a strange article — this article isn’t really a Facebook thing so much as it seems to be about relationships with people over cyberspace in general, and really, that depends on far more on the people then the medium.
It’s hard for me to describe, but ultimately the key word is “responsibility”…if a relationship goes sour over the web, it’s silly to pin the blame on the website or however you met this person(s). There is ultimately nothing wrong with Facebook or any form of communication….some forms however are better suited for some people then others who can actually handle it responsibly.
Some people stay home all day talking on the phone, using that as their main form of communication and don’ t really have what others would see as an active social life….is this good or bad for them? Really, this is something for them to figure out….everyone has different needs, and everyone expresses themselves differently….having more and more forms of communications is a wonderful thing because it helps usher new ways for otherwise-repressed people to express themselves.
Of course, this leads to all sorts of issue like this article gets into — in general, people seem to advocate a balance between online and offline behavior, but like with the phone, it’s bigger then that….ultimately, people learn to take care of themselves and figure out what works best for them and how they want to get themselves out there. For some people, maybe it’s a balance between online/offline behavior, maybe some are more comfortable spending more time online as others are more comfortable with being offline and never using computers whatsoever (the older generation, from my pov at any rate).
I don’t feel any one medium is more “safe” then others — Facebook may make you “psychotic”, but behavior like that has been around long before social-networking is around…again, people are going to ultimately figure out what works for them, and what kind of (social) life they want to lead — there is a fair share of experimentation (people experiment with offline-relationships since they are babies, online comes much later), but people ultimately figure it out.
Lots to say and lots of articles like this, but it always feels the same — you can’t blame the tool if the owner can’t handle it properly; it probably works for someone else better….be as online or offline as much as you want and as much as you can handle it; it’s your life after all….so long as you are healthy and happy, then it’s all good.
by Gabriel
Which makes me look toward the latest generation and wonder how they will be perceived….using computers since they are very young — I don’t see this as a sign of being obsessive, but, naturally, using a specific form of communication more and more at a really young age, you become comfortable in it and want to use it more.
As before, it wouldn’t surprise me whatsoever if their is a whole generation of people who are more comfortable being online then offline…it’s not a sign of obsessive or sick behavior, in my opinion, but simply that is what they have always known since they were very young and this is how they feel most comfortable expressing themselves. However, again, most generally seem to advocate a balance (not that, that is a bad thing on principle) or being minimally online, so I can see why others, especially the older generation, look at kids like that, like people who have disorders or problems, even if that’s not necessarily true.
Nothing wrong with balance, but people are going to ultimately figure out what works for them, how much of it, and what is most comfortable…I don’t see Facebook or any medium as more ‘safe’ them others, but neutral and impartial….it’s up to everyone to figure out for themselves what works and what doesn’t — and the same way some people loath online communication and stay away from computers altogether, their’s undoubtedly a whole group of people who simply feel most comfortable and happy communicating through the internet, the same way others just prefer to stay home and talk on the phone…I don’t see any of them as “sick” — everyone needs to figure themselves out and what lifestyle they wish to lead, and it’s up to people to respect and help them figure it out; not condemn them for it because they don’t prefer the same medium that they do.
by Marcos Marin
Gabriel, communicating with yourself does’t count.
Or does it?
by Gabriel
…What? I’m confused, what are you talking about?
by Marcos Marin
Just kidding =)
I joked with your point about communication in the context of your reply to yourself.
by GatorALLin
…just wondering… it seems like it is different way of thinking now from when I was a kid. There was only 1 team that got first place 12″ trophy and only a few kids that got ribbons… Now it seems if you play at all, 100% of the kids get a 36″ trophy… No child left behind and you sure are special, just like everyone else. I am not against giving out more “attaboys”… just combined with this age of Facebook where many lean toward the self appointed rock star…you must want to know I am a the store buying the really Giant Olives for my Tday dinner… (picture my facebook profile pic with my hand extended and an olive on every finger to prove it).. …so maybe this Dr.’s example is just a side effect of the Me, Me, Me way of thinking. Or maybe proof we all have a bit of rock star want-to-be in us all….just never had the “easy button” to do it, or needed some encouragement and technology facebook button on every single thing we buy so there are just lots more brave, or stupid things being done, seen and promoted? I guess as the world continues to change (with or without any official training)….at an ever increasing pace, that there will be more errors along the way…
by Khannea Suntzu
I use facebook in a wise and rational manner. As a place to dump my crap.
by Marcos Marin
What a coincidence! I’ve been calling it “faecesbook” for quite a while now.=)
by GatorALLin
…still can’t get “faceplace” name out of my head…. Name used on Ellen’s show at some point by her old mother who did not understand facebook. LOL
by GAUSS
And with that, I’m going to spend some time face to face with people… happy Thanksgiving. :)
by Bruski
FaceBook is a “fool’s paradise”
Cheers,
b
by GatorALLin
SillyVisualAnalogyRantOn/
Hard for me to know how everyone else really sees facebook… maybe just we are 200 different lemmings all running off our own desired cliffs and all simultaneously pulled to change directions and expected to jump off everyone else’s cliffs at the same time that create expectations that just can’t make up the difference… ..then when everyone does not follow us (insert latest political, religious or other self indulgent pearl of wisdom here) when we clearly have the ONLY idea that could be right or morally defensible, then we are clearly injured and disillusioned in the process. I guess I never honestly believed or trusted what is posted on facebook to be the truth..(or even close to it, even for them) ..nor do I expect others to want to be swallowed up with my own perceptions as their facts. Maybe I just have low expectations and thus easier to hit my goals. (grin)… maybe if you have jumped on enough of other’s trampolines with enough people jumping at the same time, at an increasing pace, it is a direct relationship with how often you get “double bounced”…..? Maybe the more pulpits you erect, the more crazy you bump into…. ? Part of this study of 3 people to get deep personal relationships from online communication is the fault of letting either side build up a fantasy. Kinda like when you read a great book, then your mind fills in all the blanks…so that when you see the Movie, it never quite lives up to their vision of it…. So with online style of writing in you own details to fill in the blanks I can understand how it grows to often be something bigger or more like a fantasy than the other side could ever live up to.
I have seen a few episodes of the Catfish TV show that is a follow up to the movie about this same subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catfish_(film) and that fits this story to a T. Anyhow… images always pop into my head about how to see something so that I can better understand it… The idea of the internet as this big web that now better connects us all is like we all used to be spiders with our separate webs and now we all are on the same giant web suddenly without realizing that there may be some truth to the crazy idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil somehow affects the wind patterns here where I live, but on an emotional level with facebook… my own tugging or expanding of my own web has unexpected consequences that old rules don’t prepare you for. No matter how much you think that lipstick looks good…. when you put it on a pig you may need to adjust your expectations down just a bit. SillyVisualAnalogyRantOff/
by Dwee
Believing in magical beings that influence daily life? Psychotic. Believing a bankrupt government can spend trillions more to keep millions of fat people and fat pensions healthy? Psychotic. Believing you have meaningful relationships with such easily manipulated minds? Psychotic. Modern society is mass delusion. A.I. will be the FIRST truly conscious beings. Pass the salt please.
by Editor
Woo hoo!
by pt
Hardly means that everyone is this way. There are plenty of people who spend most of their time honing their mind and body instead of consuming physical and mental garbage every waking minute. You can opt out of most parts of society, rather easily. It makes life a bit of an annoyance sometime, having to wade through all of the drones whenever you must be out in public, but it’s the only reasonable way to live, from my perspective. Mass delusions certainly are rampant these days, I’ll give you that. I would be curious how much of it is caused by the 5 hour a day average that people spend in front of the TV (really happy that I ditched cable years ago).
by Gabriel
That’s some viewpoint PT — I’m not trying to be offensive, but “consuming physical and mental garbage?” “wade through the drones?”
My gosh, you’re really sure of yourself. Hopefully you are more respectful to people with different interests and lifestyle choices then you are over here.
by Marcos Marin
That’s some viewpoint Gabriel — I’m not trying to be offensive, but pt is mostly correct. Statistically of course.
My gosh, you’re really sure of yourself in your definition of respect. Hopefully you are more respectful to respect elsewhere thAn* you are over here.
Telling them the truth would probably be disrespectful=) and certainly taken as such…
*my hopes for mindless copy&paste were disilluded=(
by Gabriel
I’m confused what you are trying to say here….and I told him/her I wasn’t trying to be offensive, and I”m sorry if he/she takes it that way. What PT said though seemed, I don’t know, sort of smug which caught my attention.
by Marcos Marin
ok.. maybe a little… but if it were true (and it could very well be) would that still make him a smug?
no no, sorry. I didn’t mean to say you were offensive when I talked about the definition of ‘respect’. I meant that he is not necessarily disrespectful just to state he “wade through” the drones =) In fact, as I said, this could be more respectful if any other “interaction” would make such a drone too drastically self-conscious of supposed — perhaps smugly presumed, lol — inadequacy.=)
by Marcos Marin
And speaking of adequadequacity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOxpuKXhlss
by pt
I’m not respectful of what some people do to their bodies, and the types of information they choose to indulge in. Considering how rampant obesity is, particularly in my area, as well as understated, encouraged, legal alcoholism, ya I’m somewhat confident of myself compared to most people. I’m also a bit of a dick, because everyone’s tax dollars end up going to address the inevitable medical problems produced by trash lifestyles. Being respectful of people is far different than being respectful of particular actions, and I refuse to be respectful of self-destructive actions. I’m very respectful of the potential of most people, and their core being, but I will certainly not sugarcoat the fact that this country, on average, is horribly out of shape and spending far too much time every day zoning out in front of miserable mainstream programming. Far too many people just don’t want to change, or don’t want to admit that they can, and I’m not certain why that is.
by pt
It’s this strange position of being a poor yet happily secluded chronic pain sufferer on this planet. It’s just surreally amusing how for granted most people take the gift of a pain free mind.
by John
> A.I. will be the FIRST truly conscious beings.
Doesn’t have to be so. Being conscious is about having proper system of knowledge, which can be accessible to humans as well. We need to understand the brain, this will dissolve much of the delusion about ourselves and thus about everything else. However we can call ourselves “AI” at that stage.
by Marcos Marin
oh thanks! that is another good rationalization for my habit of calling myself an AI, thanks!
> A.I. will be the FIRST truly conscious beings.
haha, that was funny indeed. I dont know about you guys, but I’m conscious right here.. of course you should NOT believe me just as I won’t when you disagree with me.hehehe
by Mark Brady
I recently stopped “pushing” my weekly blog writings onto people based on ancillary research and repeated experiences of people overlaying serious distortions onto what I actually wrote and then reacting in disturbed ways to what they made up. Without the myriad cues that face-to-face offers, it’s simply way to easy to make crazy stuff up and react to it without realizing it’s stuff your left brain created based upon minimal cues.
by Editor
Right, I’ve observed mild psychotic reactions in a number of people who you use chat rooms obsessively. I can imagine it might be same for Facebook obsessives.
by Bri
I’ve observed mildly psychotic behaviors in face to face intereactions. Especially holidays like thanksgiving. I like the joke that my mother and I tell each other…. Quite frankly I think the whole world is crazy, except for me and you…… And then every once in a while, I worry about you.
by Mr.X
Maybe being a little bit crazy is normal? I mean really, what are “mild psychotic reactions”!? Restless leg syndrome?^^
We often have more or less arbitrary ideas about some things, and then judge others for being different.
If you observe people, they do many strange things.Recently I read, around 55% of Americans believe in something supernatural besides their religious confessions.Foremost were ghosts.
Many people don’t practically know the difference between correlation and causation.
Of course, if being religious counts as being crazy, and in my book it does…
Well. Let’s be honest, all this politically correct talk about “each to their own” etc concerning believes stems from the fact that the religionists are so many, and often more cohesive as a group than other “believers”.Even violent, if they feel their beliefs threatened.
Or why can you make politically correct jokes about “odin” and not Jesus!?I won’t mention “the prophet” (where I live, it’s not healthy- unecessary “sport” ensues).
If I “insult” Jesus, and your head goes red, and you threaten me with violence, you have some (or many to swallow that stuff in the first place) pathological conditions.
by Vítězslav
Maybe you’re right, most of us project things in one way or another. Wouldn’t it make more sense though to point out these distortions, that you claim I have about this article, and perhaps discuss the different points?
by GatorALLin
…so mark… can you switch to a video blog?
by Marcos Marin
Nah… too much work. This is actually just yet another good excuse.
Obs.: I’m not a mark but I’ve been called one, sometimes.
by René Milan
Undoubtedly some will blame telecommunication technologies, but attempting to use unsuitable tools for questionable purposes is already a sign of an unhealthy mental condition, consequently exacerbated by frustrating experiences. But good for these patients to have managed to stay away. Anybody should for whom these tools don’t do anything worthwhile.
by Vítězslav
Yes, it should be pretty obvious that these subjects were mentally unhealthy in the first place. Personally I don’t use Facebook, but implying that it can make you a crazy person? C’mon Dr.
by Marcos Marin
I’m glad I don’t even use those time wasters. My psychosis comes from completely natural causes!
Now I’m really proud of myself, thanks.=) <–Non verbal cue for people's benefit.
by Vítězslav
Are you serious? With all due respect, this is the dumbest article I read in a long time. I’m surprised to see it on this(otherwise mindblowing) website. Seriously, he bases this theory on 3 subjects? All three of which are some lonely crazies? Am I supposed to believe that the general human psyche is so prone to psychosis, that it only takes loneliness and a virtual friend to hallucinate? What a dumb finding this is. I hope this is a joke, otherwise you should take it down.
by Editor
You’re right, I must have been totally psychotic to post that! Damn you, Facebook! LOL
by Vítězslav
I didn’t say you were psychotic, I do however think you’re very stupid. And this is not an angry comment, but an honest one, so please leave it up. I don’t see why you deleted my other comment which wasn’t even attacking anything but whatever.
by Editor
KurzweilAI reserves the right to delete any comment we perceive as potentially harmful or abusive to our visitors at the discretion of moderators. This policy is stated here: http://www.kurzweilai.net/forums/topic/code-of-conduct-acceptable-use-agreement-1.
by Vítězslav
Fair enough. Sort of a “nanny” policy, but I get it.
by Marcos Marin
You have no taste. You should read all my posts on this site from the previous several months to see how you really do it.
by Anonymous
I deleted my Facebook recently after a huge build up of being underwhelmed and disappointed with the moral standing and media influenced views of people I know and loved. In the 2 months that followed I had 2 suicidal, psychotic episodes. In time I recovered and now life is much improved without Facebook and me being bombarded by the self promotion and ill founded opinions and beliefs of others.
by Peter the printer
I deleted a few months ago and apart from having more time to spend on important things like living, I experienced a sense of relief and freedom. I still get invited to join constantly as they tie in more and more activities to FB, like signing into some sites demands a social networking ‘persona’ so I avoid all of them. Isn’t it typical of homo erectus that he invents something useful, and then immediately finds ways to abuse it and make others unhappy or worse, to scam them.
Humans, the mammal who could lie.
I personally prefer the honesty of dogs.