Summary: Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders. It has a high prevalence in affluent societies. Researchers have been struggling to explain its high prevalence among people living in abundance. New studies show that a higher rate of depression in such individuals could be due to the consistently pleasure-seeking behavior of these individuals. It appears that gadget addiction is only making things worse. Thus, many people in western society seem to be drowning in dopamine. Prescribing anti-depressants to such individuals may not be the right way to manage depression in such people.
Until the mid-20th century, conditions like anxiety and depression were rare. However, nowadays, depression is the most common health disorder. Moreover, unlike a century back when depression was more common in low-income individuals, now it is much more common in high-income nations.
Studies show that about 350 million individuals are living with depression. It is widely prevalent in high-income economies like North America and Western Europe. This has perplexed researchers a bit. It is evident that major depression is quite common among people with abundance and seemingly not having many problems in life. Depression-related suicides among highly successful people are not a secret1,2.
Figure 1: Higher prevalence of depression in sections of the western world may be explained by greater addiction to gadgets stimulating dopaminergic pathways
Experts think they have found the reason for the higher prevalence of depression among individuals with high income and relatively few serious problems in life. They believe that it is due to addiction caused by engaging too much in pleasurable activities. Further, it seems that digital addiction is one such activity3.
Until the mid-20th century, the word addiction was mostly associated with illicit drugs or substance abuse. However, these days people are addicted to many other things like mobile phones, gadgets, screens, and even sex. These seemingly benign addictions appear to be causing severe depression.
Experts think that, to a degree, a higher prevalence of depression is the result of abundance in the western world. Thus, people with a loving family, high education, and high economic status engage more frequently in pleasure-seeking behavior. It means that their reward pathway is consistently active, unlike the olden days, when life was full of struggles and pleasures were rare.
It means that the brain in modern people struggles to recover from pleasure. In the brain, pleasure and pain are processed by the same part, yet they have opposing mechanisms. The presence of pain helps the brain maintain its balance. However, in the absence of pain, the brain struggles to achieve this balance.
A high level of dopamine or overstimulated dopamine receptors provides pleasure, but this pleasure cannot last long. It is often followed by a withdrawal syndrome causing anxiety, irritability, insomnia, and other mental health issues. A person tries to overcome this withdrawal syndrome by going back to the source of pleasure.
In the case of digital addiction, signs of euphoria and withdrawal syndrome might be less vivid than those related to substance addiction. Nonetheless, they are there. It means that a person starts using these digital platforms more and more to avoid withdrawal syndrome. Ultimately, even greater use of digital platforms or spending time in front of the screen stops helping. It is when anxiety and depression start occurring.
Experience shows that limiting screen time and controlling digital addiction may be better to counter anxiety and depression rather than using anti-depressant drugs.
Thus, experts recommend that people should start reducing the time they spend with gadgets, in front of the screen, or playing video games. It is generally difficult due to craving, which is very similar to one that occurs in people living with substance abuse. However, once the person can reduce consumption of digital technology, it becomes easier to control the urge, and the brain starts regaining its balance.
Limiting the consumption of digital technology and healthier dopamine balance in the brain means that people can again start enjoying the activities they used to. This reduces the risk of mental disorders like anxiety and depression.
Frequently asked questions
What is digital addiction?
Digital addiction is a compulsive pull toward phones, gadgets, 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, insomnia and other mental health problems. The person tries to escape that crash by going back to the source of pleasure, which is how the cycle of digital addiction keeps feeding itself.
Can too much screen time cause depression?
Yes. As screen use climbs, it eventually stops relieving the withdrawal, and that is when anxiety and depression begin. It helps explain why depression now runs higher in wealthy nations, where pleasure is constant and the brain rarely gets the pain it needs to stay balanced. Limiting screen time may counter this better than antidepressant drugs.
How do you stop chasing dopamine?
Cut back on the time spent with gadgets, in front of screens and playing video games. The first stretch is hard, because the craving is very similar to 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.
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