Digital addiction floods the brain’s reward system with dopamine. New research links that constant chase for pleasure to the high rate of depression in wealthy societies. Devices keep the dopamine hits coming. That is one reason antidepressants alone may not be the right answer for many of these patients.
Summary: Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. It is especially common in wealthy societies. Researchers have struggled to explain why so many people with plenty have it. New studies suggest the higher rate may come from their constant chase for pleasure. Device addiction seems to make it worse. So many people in Western society seem to be drowning in dopamine. Prescribing antidepressants to them may not be the right way to manage their depression.
Until the mid-20th century, problems like anxiety and depression were rare. Today, depression is the most common health disorder. A century ago, depression was more common in people with low incomes. Now it is much more common in high-income nations.
Studies show about 350 million people live with depression. It is common in wealthy regions like North America and Western Europe. That has puzzled researchers. Major depression is clearly common among people who have plenty and seem to have few problems in life. Suicides tied to depression among very successful people are no secret1,2.
Figure 1: The higher rate of depression in parts of the Western world may be explained by greater addiction to devices that stimulate the brain’s dopamine pathways
Experts think they have found why depression is more common in people with high incomes and few serious problems. They believe it comes from addiction to too many pleasurable activities. Digital addiction seems to be one of them3.
Until the mid-20th century, the word addiction mostly meant illegal drugs or substance abuse. Today people are addicted to many other things, like mobile phones, devices, screens and even sex. These harmless-looking addictions seem to be causing severe depression.
Experts think the higher rate of depression partly comes from the plenty of the Western world. People with a loving family, a good education and high income chase pleasure more often. So their reward pathway is always switched on. In the old days, life was full of struggle and pleasures were rare.
So the modern brain struggles to recover from pleasure. The same part of the brain handles pleasure and pain, but they work in opposite ways. Pain helps the brain keep its balance. Without pain, the brain struggles to stay balanced.
High dopamine, or overstimulated dopamine receptors, brings pleasure, but the pleasure cannot last. It is often followed by a withdrawal state. That brings anxiety, irritability, trouble sleeping and other mental health problems. The person tries to escape the withdrawal by going back to the source of pleasure.
With digital addiction, the highs and the withdrawal may be less vivid than with drugs. But they are there. So a person uses these digital platforms more and more to avoid withdrawal. In the end, even more screen time stops helping. That is when anxiety and depression set in.
Experience shows that limiting screen time and controlling digital addiction may work better against anxiety and depression than antidepressant drugs.
So experts advise people to cut back on time with devices, in front of screens or playing video games. That is usually hard because of craving, which is much like the craving in substance abuse. But once a person cuts back on digital technology, the urge gets easier to control. The brain starts to regain its balance.
Using less digital technology brings a healthier dopamine balance in the brain. Then people can enjoy the things they used to enjoy again. That lowers the risk of mental disorders like anxiety and depression.
Frequently asked questions
What is digital addiction?
Digital addiction is a compulsive pull toward phones, devices, screens and video games. Each session keeps the brain’s reward pathway switched on. The highs and the withdrawal are less vivid than with drugs, but they are there. So a person keeps going back to the screen to avoid feeling bad. Over time, more screen time stops helping.
What does a dopamine crash feel like?
A flood of dopamine brings pleasure that cannot last. When it fades, a withdrawal state follows, with anxiety, irritability, trouble sleeping and other mental health problems. The person tries to escape that crash by going back to the source of pleasure. That is how the cycle of digital addiction keeps feeding itself.
Can too much screen time cause depression?
Yes. As screen use climbs, it finally stops easing the withdrawal. That is when anxiety and depression begin. It helps explain why depression now runs higher in wealthy nations. There, pleasure is constant and the brain rarely gets the pain it needs to stay balanced. Limiting screen time may fight this better than antidepressant drugs.
How do you stop chasing dopamine?
Cut back on time with devices, in front of screens and playing video games. The first stretch is hard, because the craving is much like the craving in substance use. Once use comes down, the urge gets easier to control. The brain regains its balance, and everyday activities start to feel enjoyable again.
Related reading
Drug-seeking habits play a vital role in drug addiction · Opioid and Endocannabinoid Systems in Eating Disorders · Drug Addiction Treatment, St. Louis
References
1. Lim GY, Tam WW, Lu Y, Ho CS, Zhang MW, Ho RC. Prevalence of Depression in the Community from 30 Countries between 1994 and 2014. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):2861. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-21243-x
2. Liu Q, He H, Yang J, Feng X, Zhao F, Lyu J. Changes in the global burden of depression from 1990 to 2017: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease study. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2020;126:134-140. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.08.002
3. Bhattacharyya R. Addiction to Modern Gadgets and Technologies Across Generations. Eastern Journal of Psychiatry. 2015;18(2). Accessed October 24, 2021. http://easternjpsychiatry.org/index.php/about/article/view/42