Depressed students surf the internet in more random manner, study finds

We all have different ways of browsing the internet; some choose to linger for a long time on favourite sites while others stumble aimlessly across the world wide web in search of interesting or entertaining information. Have you ever thought about what your browsing, or surfing, habits say about your mental health?

According to researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology surfing the internet randomly and using file-sharing programs may be a sign of depression.

The team collected a month's worth of internet data - anonymously - for 216 students from the campus IT department. Each student was tested for signs of depression, using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale, and the team found that students that showed signs of depression tended to use file-sharing services, email and chat online more than other students.

The same students also tended to use the internet in a more random manner, frequently switching among applications. One of the researchers, Dr Chellappan thinks this could indicate trouble concentrating, a characteristic that is associated with depression.

Have you been diagnosed with depression? If so, how do the above study findings relate to your own experience?

[via TG Daily]