Doomscrolling is a harmful habit affecting many people, especially teenagers and young adults in their 20s and 30s. Such people develop a fragile mental state that forces them to live an unhealthy lifestyle. If you feel like you're someone who's suffering from a mental health issue such as general anxiety, depression, or any other psychological disorder, consult a verified therapist as soon as possible. You can opt for psychiatric medications, from getdiazepam, to help ease your symptoms of chronic anxiety, epileptic seizures, and panic attacks. It must be noted that such prescription drugs should only be taken with a doctor's approval since they have certain side effects. 

The act of doomscrolling is rather old, but the name is recent. Doomscrolling means that you scroll through the internet continuously for hours. All that negative and harmful news and posts stress you out that exhaust the brain. You feel frustrated, uncertain, and anxious after doomscrolling. It also messes up your sleep. 

According to many psychological experts, doomscrolling is like a game to people. When you're sad, anxious, or depressed, the thought of browsing through new information gives people a little 'kick', and they get trapped in this vicious cycle of consuming negative and violent information for hours at a time. 

Doomscrolling traps you in a vicious cycle where you keep scrolling through social media without knowing how many hours have passed. This act of browsing is dangerous to your mental health as it increases stress and tension in your brain. Younger people often become insecure about their appearance. They develop an unrealistic view of lifestyle, all thanks to social media. Children and teens often get addicted to cartoons and games, whereas adults and seniors become anxious and depressed while watching the news. 

Doomscrolling has adverse effects on mental health. People who doomscroll become addicted to it and often suffer from mental health issues; the most common are anxiety, depression, narcissism, obsessive behaviours, and certain panic disorders. (2)

Following are the 5 most common mental health issues faced by doomscrollers: 

Does doomscrolling cause depression? 

Yes, it does. When you're reading and watching so many negative and violent posts and news daily, it affects your mental health. Most doomscrollers suffer from depression and may experience panic attacks when alone. (3)

Scrolling constantly makes you anxious and fidgety. Doomscrolling is also known to induce obsessive-compulsive behaviours where you have an uncontrollable desire to check your phone repeatedly. In addition, Doomscrollers often feel doubtful and overthink all the time. 

Sleeplessness 

Doomscrolling messes up your sleep schedule if you're not careful. Lack of sleep is even more dangerous because it greatly increases the risk of many serious health conditions, including heart diseases, depression, and cancer. 

The Internet is full of all sorts of information, whether true or false. Scrolling through your social media and being exposed to all of those contradictory posts leaves you confused and frustrated. (3) Many people also forward posts and videos without verifying the information first. This spreads misinformation, illiteracy, and disarray among the masses. You read something on social media which seems to be valid. Then another contradicting post pops up that makes you feel unsure. The more you spend time on the internet, the more uncertain you become, which often leads to overthinking. 

You see all kinds of negativity on social media. There's so much stuff on the internet that is harmful to your mental and emotional health. When you scroll non-stop through such posts and news, the level of cortisol (primary stress hormone) and adrenaline increases in your bloodstream. (4) This creates stress and emotional instability. Doomscrolling robs you of your energy and leaves you physically and mentally drained. 

Scrolling continuously through social media increases stress levels in the body. Instead of taking a break from it, most people become addicted to doomscrolling, where they constantly check for notifications and updates. The more you scroll down, the newer posts keep coming up, which keeps you hooked up to the screen, ultimately causing strain to your eyes and your brain. 

Your brain has a limit to digesting and processing information. Doomscrolling causes all the unnecessary and useless information to become a part of your memory. On the other hand, too much information causes an overload in your brain, which may cause you to become forgetful and distracted. Information overload also affects your learning ability, decision-making, and concentration. 

Since you go through a lot of information while doomscrolling, it causes mental burnout. Doomscrolling also makes you uncertain and confused about many things, often leading to frustration and overthinking. 

Now you know how dangerous doomscrolling can be for your mind. The first step is to learn how it can be stopped. Therefore, we have compiled the top 5 tips to help you overcome this habit gradually. The key is to follow these tips sincerely without giving up. Time your time on social media. Set a timer so that you can only scroll for a limited time. Track your screen time. See how much you're exposed to the screen daily, what social media apps you use the most, and what kind of content you watch the most. Do not use your phone before going to bed. The blue light of your phone's screen is known to cause sleep problems. So stop using your phone at least an hour before going to bed. Also, keep your phone in another room so that it's not the first thing you look at when you wake up.  Give a break to your eyes and brain while browsing the web. Rest your eyes and mind for a few minutes during scrolling through social media. Get up and do a little stretch to flex your neck, back, and legs. Walk a little around your living space to increase the blood flow in your legs. Download applications that limit your social media use. There are applications that restrict your data usage. They also stop unnecessary notifications, ads, and pop-ups on your device. You can download them and set them up as you like.