Detecting Depression From How (Not What) You Browse 163
New submitter FreedomFirstThenPeac writes "Apparently we can diagnose you as depressed if the mechanics of your internet use fit certain patterns. By using a cleverly embedded questionnaire that classifies the subject as depressed, and by using existing net usage data collection to collect features (variables), researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology were able to correctly predict the diagnoses of the questionnaire using the net usage data (PDF). I wonder if this could be a new Firefox plug-in, designed to help parents detect depression in their adolescents by tracking the mechanics (not the sites) and automatically emailing them if their ward is showing increasing signs of depression."
This is all the summary needed to include (Score:5, Insightful)
It turns out that very specific patterns of internet use are reliably related to depressive tendencies. For example, peer-to-peer file sharing, heavy emailing and chatting online, and a tendency to quickly switch between multiple websites and other online resources all predict a greater propensity to experience symptoms of depression. Although the exact reasons that these behaviors predict depression is unknown, each behavior corresponds with previous research on depression. Quickly switching between websites may reflect anhedonia (a decreased ability to experience emotions), as people desperately seek for emotional stimulation. Similarly, excessive emailing and chatting may signify a relative lack of strong face-to-face relationships, as people strive to maintain contact either with faraway friends or new people met online.
Sounds like it's easy to dismiss on first glance. How do you define heavy emailing? Heavy emailing could be a symptom of a job that demands good communication skills -- which would you lead you to believe that the person is not depressed and functioning normally.
Re:Another idea. (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem is that those suffering from depression may do a lot, even subconsciously, to cover some of the obvious signs of depression from those closest to them. Add on to the fact that most people don't know enough about the signs of depression and it can be hard at times to easily recognize them.
Secondly, I'm ready to dismiss you and your idea without further discussion just for the fact that your skills in reading comprehension are severely lacking to the point that the basic premise of the article has completely escaped you. This has nothing to do with WHAT you're browsing, there is no checking a browser history, this was simply about HOW you use the internet could help determine the possibility of being depressed. Even if it isn't practical for parents to use, it's still an interesting idea nonetheless.
Re:Wow, what a remarkably BAD idea (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Another idea. (Score:5, Insightful)
No not subconsciously, we hide those signs on purpose. People don't want to be around others that are depressed because frankly it's depressing and we know it. If we let our symptoms show everyone will ignore us (which we feel they already do anyway) and we'll be even more alone and more depressed. People also aren't understanding and are quite rude: "Yeah I dropped my ice cream once and was really sad, then I decided to be awesome instead. Stop being depressed and be awesome!" To someone who's actually depressed and not simply sad, that statement is simply a huge FUCK YOU YOU LAZY ASSHOLE and reinforces the belief that we suck and should die because we can't get better and never will. So why struggle through life at all?
We also don't want people bugging us: "Are you feeling better now?", "Isn't this [current activity] fun?", "You should smile more", etc... "What is your favorite [anything]" or "What do you enjoy doing?" are also horrible questions. I don't enjoy doing anything as I feel like a worthless piece of shit and can't feel happy thus nothing is fun. How am I supposed to come up with a favorite anything when everything is a chore?
Some of us don't want to drag down those closest to them (assuming there is anyone still close after we've slowly pushed everyone else away by being a buzz kill and a downer). I don't want my parents thinking they've screwed up and it's their fault I'm depressed, but I also don't want them bugging me about it or worry about me. I'd feel even worse for making them worry.
If you want to know more about what it feels like to be depressed, checkout this web comic (especially #69 "How Are you?"). Someone at /. referred me to it: http://depressioncomix.tumblr.com/ It's very good.
P.S. I told someone I was depressed last week. She didn't believe me and said she couldn't tell if I was joking because I'm very hard to read. I'm hard to read because my emotions are gone. There's nothing to read. In the past she's even said multiple times that I should smile more. Aren't those two things clues? I'm in college and many people tell me I'm hard to read and should smile more. Some advice: If you find someone who never smiles and is hard to read, you're probably trying too hard to read them.
I was going to start taking antidepressants in the fall, but I made the mistake of starting to read Anatomy of an Epidemic. Now I don't know how to get my life back together. I've been depressed since I hit the double digits; about 1.5 decades ago :'(
Comment removed (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:This is all the summary needed to include (Score:5, Insightful)
Also, the study seems to ignore cultural differences between children from different parts of the world. A good plugin would take that into account when emailing recommendations to parents:
USA: "Your 6 year old has been emailing santaclaus@northpole.com heavily and therefore seems depressed. Hide your guns and ammo immediately!"
South Korea: "Your child used an online chatroom for a total of 23 minutes last week. Perhaps 16 hours of studying per day is not enough."
Saudi Arabia: "Your daughter has accessed the Internet! Kill the whore now before she dishonors your family."
etc...
Re:Another idea. (Score:5, Insightful)
I was going to start taking antidepressants in the fall, but I made the mistake of starting to read Anatomy of an Epidemic. Now I don't know how to get my life back together. I've been depressed since I hit the double digits; about 1.5 decades ago :'(
People are very vocal about horror stories, but success stories don't get as much attention. I started taking antidepressants (Prozac and Wellbutrin) last year after about five years of depression, and have been feeling much better since then with minimal side effects. There are lots of different drugs, so if you have trouble with side effects from one you can try switching to another. You should also find a good therapist whether you take medication or not. If you have a primary care physician, they can also provide information and advice, and might be able to prescribe antidepressants if you can't find or afford a psychiatrist that you like/trust enough.
Please don't condemn yourself to another 15 years of depression because of a pop science book. I can almost guarantee you that staying mentally ill will be worse for your body than any hypothetical consequences from taking antidepressants.
Re:Another idea. (Score:4, Insightful)
If I had mod points, this post would be getting them.
This dude is absolutely right. It's absolutely worth it to muster up all the will power and motivation you have to seeing a doctor and working with them to find medication that works for you without giving you more problems than you started off with. Once I willed myself into actually getting some help my doctor and I managed to quite quickly find a drug and dosage that actually worked for me. I wouldn't say I was depression free, but I found it much easier to deal with. The only side effects I got were a decrease in libido (and as I haven't gotten any in some years, it was actually kinda welcome) and some really vivid dreams, which were actually kinda cool.
There are lots of different drugs, so if you have trouble with side effects from one you can try switching to another.
Here's where it gets shitty. The trial and error period makes it easy to give in to despair and quit entirely. You've got to steel yourself and push through it. I'm in the shitty situation at the moment where the medication I've been taking has stopped working. We've tried an increased dose, but alas, no improvement. It's been a while since I've seen my doctor (I want to see my doctor, not some arsehole who doesn't know me...) and I've sunk back into a fairly dark place. I've lost a lot of my support base recently and I just feel like I'm never going to not feel like shit. It's going to take some serious effort on my part to push through this test phase again.
You should also find a good therapist whether you take medication or not. If you have a primary care physician, they can also provide information and advice, and might be able to prescribe antidepressants if you can't find or afford a psychiatrist that you like/trust enough.
Therapy works wonders for some, but god dammit, it's even more taxing on your mental state to find one that actually works for you. You spend a session bringing up all your anguish and painful memories, the tell you nothing of value or just ask how it makes you feel (I have depression, it makes me feel like a sack of shit) and then your time is up and they send you away with all that shit you brought up running circles in your mind and nothing to comfort you. It can be the most crushing and demoralising thing.
That probably doesn't make you want to go see a therapist. It's not my intention to scare you out of it, but more to warn you so you can take steps to mitigate the effects of a bad therapy session. Try to catch up with friends you enjoy being with some time after the session. Not immediately after, but a few hours after. Go do something you enjoy. Go to your favorite bakery. Anything. Try to find something to look forward to after the session. If the session goes well, fucking awesome! You can celebrate with some kick-ass cake. If it doesn't, well at least there's still kick-ass cake.
If you have a bad session, take some time before you try another therapist and try to lose any jaded and cynical feelings you may have towards them.
Please don't condemn yourself to another 15 years of depression because of a pop science book. I can almost guarantee you that staying mentally ill will be worse for your body than any hypothetical consequences from taking antidepressants.
I hope my post hasn't scared you out of seeking help. It's absolutely worth it to give these things a shot. But I also think it's worth knowing that it isn't always easy, and when things don't go right they can just make you feel so much worse, but also that you can do things to lessen the extent to which it can do so. I kind of want to delete this entire thing because, well, maybe I'm hurting, not helping, and frankly who would want to read anything I have to say? But maybe that's my depression getting the better of me... fuck it. This can be my victory for today.