When we are happy we put happy things on Facebook. When we are sad, our statuses change and the kind of pictures we share and like also change. According to a new study, Facebook status and likes can help in the early detection of mental disorders which suggests that social networks may help provide support and interventions.
“Facebook is hugely popular and could provide us with a wealth of data to improve our knowledge of mental health disorders such as depression and schizophrenia,” said Dr Becky Inkster, the study’s lead-author.
Michal Kosinski, co-author from Stanford Graduate Business School in the US, said that Facebook data tends to be more dependable than offline self-reported information, while still reflecting an individual’s offline behaviours. For researchers it was quite easy to measure the data on social media sights that is difficult to asses offline such as conversation intensity and to reach sample sizes which previously were unavailable.
By analysing the language, emotions and topics used in status updates, the researchers said that it may be possible to look for symptoms or early signs of mental illness. Even photographs might provide new insights; Facebook is the world’s largest photo sharing website, with some 350 million photos uploaded daily, and automated picture analysis of emotional facial expressions might offer unique representations of offline behaviours, researchers said.
The information gathered from social media can help detect early stages of depression and can be given early therapies for early dementia.
“Facebook relationships may help those with reduced self-esteem and provide companionship for individuals who are socially isolated,” said Inkster.
“We know that socially isolated adolescents are more likely to suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts, so these online stepping stones could encourage patients to reform offline social connections,” said Inkster.
The study was published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry.
Read more at http://www.indiatimes.com/health/healthyliving/facebook-posts-and-likes-can-now-help-in-early-detection-of-mental-disorders-264418.html