Stating that bad news increases the sense of curiosity and creates addiction after a while, experts warn that the tendency to read bad news, defined as ‘Doomscrolling’, can cause symptoms such as anxiety, fear, startle feeling, constant crying and hopelessness.
Emphasizing that bad news addiction can disrupt a person’s system, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın points out that this can cause intense anxiety, depression, stress, headaches and hormonal changes in the person. Flood recommends staying away from bad news and gradually returning to daily routines so as not to suffer the effects of doomscrolling.
Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Hospital Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın touched upon the psychological and neurological problems that doomscrolling, defined as bad news addiction, can cause in the person, and shared important advice.
Bad news fuels curiosity
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın, who stated that the term doomscrolling in Turkish means the tendency to read bad news continuously and bad news addiction, said, “Doomscrolling is also expressed as ‘disaster scrolling’. Along with the bad news, the sense of curiosity increases and the next news is always followed, as if scratching a wound. While following the bad news we saw with the earthquake disaster, we are not even aware of the time spent in front of the screen or social media.”
Doomscrolling leads to serious symptoms
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın, who drew attention to the fact that the screen time is prolonged and the mental health of people is seriously affected with the disaster shift, said, “The disaster shift can cause secondary trauma in people. In the case of the second trauma, even if the person is not exposed to the disaster, he can follow the processes as if he has lived and be exposed to the symptoms of trauma by constructing it in his mind. A feeling of startle, constant crying or wanting to cry, insomnia or sleeping too much, loss of appetite or binge eating, anxiety, fear and hopelessness can be seen among the symptoms. People do not even need to experience the earthquake directly to have these feelings. People can experience all these symptoms with doomscrolling they will do all day long.
It can break one’s system.
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın summarizes the reasons why the habit of following bad news cannot be stopped and the problems it causes;
– Even if we have not been in a disaster, there is a need to connect with the disaster environment and learn what is going on. Although these people usually interpret it as a need to learn help and useful information, this rate is quite low. As soon as we realize that the information is not useful, we must realize that this is doomscrolling and stop it.
– Knowing the situation gives the idea of being able to control the situation. Disasters point to an unknown for us, and the unknown is one of the most critical points that human psychology cannot cope with. The person thinks that he is constantly checking by doomscrolling. But since the situation is far beyond one’s control, it only leads to anxiety and confirmation of uncontrollability.
– Detecting danger causes our nervous system to be constantly on the alert. Evolutionarily, it is important to detect danger and be alert, but the brain’s constant rejuvenation of danger and its constant vigilance can disrupt the balance of the nervous system and cause psychiatric diseases.
– Dommscrolling can break one’s system. Intense anxiety, depression, stress and complaints may begin in the person. It can lead to changes in hormonal levels. It can cause digestive system problems, attention and concentration problems, headaches, sleep and appetite problems.
Is it possible to get rid of Doomscolling?
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın, who stated that it would not be a realistic approach to step aside as if everything was perfect and act as if there was no earthquake disaster, said, “It is possible to say that secondary trauma affects people as much as those who experience trauma and those with post-traumatic stress disorder are affected. It is very important to stay away from doomscrolling to avoid secondary trauma,” he said.
Taşkın explained that it is possible to change this situation, which gradually harms the person, with the following recommendations:
– Setting limits and setting a daily time: If you dedicate certain hours to news during the day, your focus will not be on the news all the time. This will also help reduce your anxiety.
– Gradual transition to routines: Gradual return to routines gives the person the feeling of being safe. If there are areas that you are constantly attending, such as school, work, course and sports, continuing them will be an important stress reliever.
– Getting in touch with your own body: You may not want to do anything during the day because of your depressive mood. In this case, you can switch to doomscrolling again. Try to stop yourself and focus on the things that are good for your body. Try some routines that are good for you, such as a warm area, a comfortable body position, a short walk to balance the stress, and fresh air.
– Get in touch with people face to face: If you can afford it, contacting people who have suffered a disaster and providing support will be much more efficient and will give you the feeling of being safe and reassuring.
Source: (BYZHA) – Beyaz News Agency
