Feb. 4, 2010 -- Internet users who are compulsive about going
online and have more social interactions in virtual worlds than
the real one may be depressed, according to a new study. Some
Internet users retreat from real-life interaction and opt for
chat rooms and social networking sites, and this can have an
adverse effect on mental health, researchers say in the Feb. 10
issue of Psychopathology. “This type of addictive surfing can
have a serious impact on mental health,” lead author Catriona
Morrison, DPhil, of the University of Leeds, says in a news
release. “The Internet now plays a huge part in modern life, but
its benefits are accompanied by a darker side.” She tells WebMD
in an email that the Internet provides a “refuge for certain
types of people” and that “Internet addiction seems to be a bona
For most people, the Internet is adaptive “and helps us function
well in our daily lives,” she says. But for some people, “it is
compulsive and “What is not clear is what causes what, so the
next step is to ask