A recent article in Science Daily
highlights a study that found a correlation between depression and using
multiple forms of media. Researchers in the article have yet to determine the
causal relationship of this finding. Dr. Silton’s study outlined in her paper,
“Depression and Anxious Apprehension Distinguish Frontocingulate Cortical
Activity During Top-Down Attentional Control” might have the answer the
researchers are looking for.
Mark Becker from Michigan State
University lead the study that found a high correlation between depression and
anxiety and a high use of multiple media outlets. It seemed that the patients who suffered from
depression and anxiety were constantly multi-tasking between various forms of
media including texting, television, music, cell phones, web surfing, computer
and video games, etc. Researchers could not determine whether depression and
anxiety were causing the patients to turn to media multi-tasking as a form of
distraction, or if the media multi-tasking was causing the symptoms of
depression and anxiety.
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“If differential patterns of attentional control
difficulties can be identified in depression and anxiety, it will inform
evidence-based treatments for depression and anxiety that involve training
individuals to use attentional control methods, such as cognitive control
therapy (Siegle, Ghinassi, & Thase, 2007) and mindfulness-based cognitive
behavioral therapy (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002)”.
For
people with depression turning to multi-media use, treatments involving such
outlets might be the best method to help them.
Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121204145557.htm
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