Internet use linked to depression

A study has found that people who use the internet a lot are more prone to depression than those who spend less time online.

Those who were classed as internet addicts after answering a series of questions about their online habits had the highest score when it came to questions assessing their mental health, a score five times higher than the non-addicts.

Leeds University, which ran the study targeting members of social-networking sites, stressed that it is not possible to make a definitive link between internet use and depression.

Dr Catriona Morrison from Leeds University said: "If [the internet] is interferring with daily activities, if you think about the internet when you're doing something else - that's problematic."

However, psychiatrist Dr Vaughan Bell from King's College said it could actually be the other way round, claiming that there is no good evidence proving that the internet itself causes the problems.

"There are genuinely people who are depressed or anxious who use the internet to the exclusion of the rest of their lives, but there are similar people who watch too much TV, bury themselves in books or go shopping to excess," Dr Bell said.

The study also found that people are more likely to be addicted to the internet than to gambling. More than one per cent of those questioned were hardcore internet users compared to the 0.6 per cent of the general population who have a problem with gambling.