Journal of Psychiatry

Depression and suicide risk in GD, IGD and online social network sites (SNS) addiction. Emotional distress, altered states of consciousness and negative sychosocial consequences as conditions for the development of this comorbid psychopathology

Annual World Congress on Psychiatry

July 11, 2022 | Webinar

Tetiana Zinchenko

International association for the study of game addictions (IASGA), Switzerland

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Psychiatry

Abstract:

Depression is one of the most common concomitant mental disorders associated with gambling addiction, internet gaming disorder and social network addiction. It is diagnosed in 23,1 - 41,3% of patients with GD. The conducted meta-analysis and reviews of internet addiction studies, which included IGD and SNS addiction, reveal a high degree of correlation with depression in 75 - 89% of studies. Patients with GD, there is a high suicide risk in 25,6 - 40,21%, in 81,4% there are suicidal thoughts, which in 29,6 - 49.2% of cases having a permanent, obsessive nature,6,9 - 30,2% commit suicide attempts. Suicide is the main cause of death (31%) in this category of patients. High suicidal risk (thoughts, attempts) is found by researchers in different countries in IGD and SNS addiction, with both problematic and pathological users. The analysis of clinical and neurobiological studies, as well as their own clinical cases, reveals that emotional dysregulation, constant emotional distress, experienced altered states of consciousness with a violation of self-identification during the game and with problematic use of social networks, as well as increasing negative social consequences, are predisposing risk factors for the development of depression in these behavioral dependencies. As for the time sequence, few longitudinal studies have found a bi-directional relationship between depression and the severity of addiction symptoms.more than half of the patients had clinically significant symptoms of depression after the start of the game and the formation of a particular behavioral dependence. Based on all the results obtained, we can conclude that dependent players and users of social networks can become both initially mentally healthy people, and those who have already experienced subclinical and clinical manifestations of depression. In the first case, the depression was added in the process of aggravating the symptoms of addiction, and in the second, the depressive symptoms increased and worsened. But when healthy life activity was restored, the severity of symptoms of depression also decreased. This study also shows that information gaming and network technologies are the main risk factor for the development of both addiction and comorbid psychopathology, up to suicidal behavior.

Biography :

Dr. Tetiana Zinchenko, the president of the International association for the study of game addictions (IASGA)/Switzerland, PhD, psychotherapist, psychologist, rehabilitologist, practicing doctor in private practice. Dr. Tetiana is a practicing clinician with twenty years of experience in the field of mental health. Of these, 5 years in the field of forensic psychiatry in specialized psychiatric clinics, 15 years in the field of psychological counseling and psychotherapy of anxiety disorders, depression and suicidal behavior, 10 years in the field of neurorehabilitation. Over the past five years, she has been specializing in group, family and individual psychotherapy and rehabilitation of people with various behavioral addictions. Currently works as a psychotherapist in private practice and public organizations. Her main research interests are the study of the influence of information technologies on consciousness, the brain and the development of human personality, as well as the study of ontology, the nature and functioning of human consciousness.