Social media can be a great place for people with bipolar disorder to access information and community support, but overuse of online technology can pose risks to your mental health. Read on for tips on how to find balance and manage your screen time.
Social media platforms have transformed how people connect in recent decades, including people with bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions.
Social media may have both positive and negative effects on people with bipolar disorder.
It provides a space to share and find information about the condition, connect with other people who have it, and build social support communities.
There’s also a lot of misinformation, stigmatizing messages, and opportunities for compulsive behavior that you might regret on social media.
Being mindful about how you use social media and other online technologies may help you manage the risks while enjoying the benefits.
Read on to learn more about the potential impacts of social media use on bipolar disorder and find tips for managing your screen time.
Are you tweeting more than usual? Are you sending fewer Facebook messages? Changes in your social media use may provide clues about your mental state.
In a 2017 survey of people with bipolar disorder, 41% said that changes in their technology use served as warning signs of oncoming manic or depressive episodes.
Increased use or overuse of technology was a common warning sign of mania.
Detachment from social media or technology was a common sign of depression.
Paying attention to these changes in behavior may help you recognize when a mood episode is coming so you can reach out for support from your mental health care team.
Mental health organizations, people with bipolar disorder, and other community members use social media to share information about bipolar disorder and how to manage it.
Some of the information shared on social media is accurate and reliable, but there’s also a lot of incorrect and misleading information out there.
A 2023 study looked at 500 Instagram posts with bipolar disorder-related hashtags, such as #bipolar and #bipolarAwareness. It found that many of the posts contained irrelevant, incomplete, or inaccurate information about bipolar disorder.
Fewer than 5% of the relevant posts came from medical professionals. Those posts tended to be more accurate, complete, and useful than posts from other community members.
This highlights the importance of looking for credible sources of information and fact-checking the information that you find on social media.
Talk with your doctor or mental health specialist about information that you find online to learn whether it’s trustworthy and safe to follow.
People with bipolar disorder and other community members can use social media to share their personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences with the condition — including supportive or stigmatizing messages.
A 2020 study of bipolar disorder-related posts on Twitter (now X) found that some posts offered social support to people with this condition. Other posts shared stigmatizing messages that spread negative ideas or feelings about bipolar disorder or people who have it.
This study found that stigmatizing messages about bipolar disorder were more common than stigmatizing messages about other mental health conditions.
Stigmatizing messages may negatively affect your self-esteem, increase anxiety or depression, or lower your quality of life. You might find it helpful to block, mute, or hide posts or users that spread stigmatizing messages in your social media feeds.
Supportive messages and social interactions may help combat stigma, improve your life satisfaction, and limit symptoms of depression.
Using social media to stay in touch with friends and family members may help strengthen your social bonds and sense of support.
You can also use social media to seek out online support groups, mental health advocates, and other community members that offer positive messages and social support.
While social media can help increase your sense of connection and emotional support in many ways, research has shown that spending more than 2 hours a day on social media can lead to a lower level of perceived emotional support, which can in turn prompt you to spend even more time scrolling, thus creating a vicious cycle.
So, the key is to limit your time on social media to under 2 hours a day.
Increased impulsivity is a common symptom of bipolar disorder that may lead to compulsive behavior, including behavioral addiction.
A
You might find yourself scrolling for hours through social media feeds or other online spaces, which can negatively affect your mood and take time away from other activities that could have more benefits for your mental health — like sleep, exercise, or spending quality time with friends or family.
Some people also share private information or other content online that they later regret sharing.
A 2021 study found
Promotional content or links on social media may also feed into other compulsive behaviors, such as:
- compulsive online pornography viewing
- compulsive online shopping
- Internet gaming disorder
- gambling disorder
Inform your doctor or mental health specialist if your social media use or other online activities are difficult to control or interfere with your life.
They may recommend behavioral therapy or other resources to help manage compulsive behavior or behavioral addictions.
Managing the amount of time you spend on social media and other online spaces may help limit the risks of too much internet use while freeing up time for other activities that can benefit your physical and mental well-being.
The American Psychiatric Association offers the following tips:
- Track the amount of time that you spend on social media: There are multiple apps that you can download to automatically track your time on social media.
- Set aside time for social media: Instead of mindlessly scrolling or compulsively checking notifications, decide how much time you want to spend on social media, block off that time in your day, and set a timer so you know when it’s done.
- Turn off social media notifications: Adjust the notification settings in your social media apps to turn off alerts. You can actively check for new messages or items in your feed during the times you’ve designated for social media use.
- Downsize your social media use: Reduce the number of apps or platforms you use regularly.
- Set offline times: Commit to spending time each day or week offline. Schedule it in your calendar — and stay off social media and other online platforms then.
- Take a break: Consider taking a full day, week, or more off from social media.
- Buddy up with a partner: Ask a friend or family member to join you in reducing your social media use. You can encourage each other and hold each other accountable.
You might also find it helpful to designate certain spaces or activities as screen-free.
For example, consider keeping your phone or other electronic devices out of your bedroom or turning off your internet connection during mealtimes or visits with friends.
Enjoying other activities during the time you free up may also help you stick with the changes to your social media use. Less time online could mean more time for exercise, hobbies, socializing with friends, or getting a full night’s sleep.
While limiting the quantity of time exposed to social media can help maintain your sense of well-being, being mindful of the quality of the information you consume online and the kind of people you connect with can also contribute to your positive emotional experience.
As mentioned earlier, research has demonstrated some positive effects of social media for bipolar disorder, provided the time spent is under 2 hours per day.
Accessing accurate information about bipolar disorder and mental health will go a long way in boosting your emotional well-being and overall condition. Accurate information may come from various sources, such as influencers who cite scientific research, professionals who hail from organizations backed by government-funded research, and websites that uphold editorial expert review policies.
Social media can help connect you with friends, family members, other people with bipolar disorder, and resources to help manage the condition.
Social media may also expose you to misinformation or stigmatizing messages about bipolar disorder.
Some people have difficulty with compulsive social media use, internet addiction, or other behavioral addictions that may be triggered online. Bipolar disorder can increase impulsivity and may raise your risk of these addictions.
Your doctor or mental health professional can help you assess the reliability of information that you find on social media and connect you with helpful resources to manage social media use with bipolar disorder.
Taking steps to limit or control your social media use may also help you strike a balance between time online and time doing other activities.