Clinical Report: Social Media Addiction in Five Major Mental Health Disorders

Overview

This cross-sectional study compared social media addiction (SMA) prevalence and severity across five major mental disorders—anxiety disorders (AD), depressive disorders (DD), bipolar disorder (BD), schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)—versus healthy controls. It also examined associations between SMA and anxiety and depressive symptom severity within each diagnostic group.

Background

Social media addiction is characterized by excessive, uncontrolled use of social media leading to functional impairment and symptoms such as tolerance and withdrawal. SMA prevalence in the general population is approximately 17.4%, with higher rates reported among university students, especially in Asia. SMA is linked to adverse mental health outcomes including anxiety, depression, and lowered self-esteem. While SMA has been studied in general populations, data on its prevalence and impact in clinical populations with major mental disorders remain limited. Understanding SMA in these groups is clinically important due to its potential to exacerbate psychopathology and impair social functioning.

Data Highlights

The study included adult patients diagnosed with AD, DD, BD, SSD, and OCD, alongside healthy controls, assessed using validated self-report scales for SMA, anxiety, and depression. Mental disorder diagnoses were confirmed by specialist psychiatrists according to DSM-5-TR criteria. The control group was screened to exclude mental disorders. Data collection occurred from May to October 2025 at a tertiary hospital in Türkiye.

Key Findings

• Patients with anxiety disorders and depressive disorders exhibited significantly higher frequency and severity of social media addiction compared to healthy controls.
• Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients did not show increased SMA levels relative to controls, although social media engagement patterns varied.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder patients demonstrated elevated SMA severity, consistent with prior findings linking compulsivity and problematic social media use.
• Within each diagnostic group, higher SMA severity was positively associated with greater anxiety and depressive symptom severity, indicating a bidirectional relationship.
• The presence of a mental disorder diagnosis was associated with an increased risk of SMA, particularly in AD and DD groups.

Clinical Implications

Clinicians should consider screening for social media addiction in patients with anxiety and depressive disorders due to its high prevalence and association with symptom severity. Addressing SMA may be important in comprehensive treatment planning to reduce psychopathological burden and improve social functioning. Awareness of SMA's role in OCD is also warranted given its compulsive features. Conversely, SMA may be less prominent in bipolar and schizophrenia spectrum disorders but still merits assessment given individual variability.

Conclusion

Social media addiction is more prevalent and severe among patients with anxiety, depressive, and obsessive-compulsive disorders compared to healthy individuals, and it correlates with symptom severity within these groups. These findings underscore the importance of integrating SMA assessment and intervention into mental health care for these populations.

References

1. Various Authors/Meta-Analyses/2022-2025 -- Social Media Addiction and Mental Health