Mental Health Concerns in the Digital Age

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive look at society’s use of technology including the Internet, smartphones, and other digital devices and it’s apparent effects on people’s mental health. Negative consequences from technology overuse impact an individual behaviorally, affectively, and cognitively. Advantageous counseling interventions and treatment options are discussed as methods to reduce effects of technology abuse and isolation from the real world and help clients find a balance in connectivity. The authors discuss signs of potential pathological technology use and concern for Internet addiction as well as the DSM-5’s proposed Internet Gaming Disorder. Detrimental impacts on adults, adolescents, and children from continual connectivity are explained. Consequences of attachment to technology include lowered social skills, self-motivation, emotional intelligence, and empathy and increased conflict with others, ADHD, and depression in younger populations. Mental health concerns increase with society’s reduced social interactions resulting from increased technological use and dependence on social media for communication.