{"id":29523,"date":"2025-07-08T07:00:28","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T07:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=29523"},"modified":"2025-07-08T18:29:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T18:29:35","slug":"dangers-of-doomscrolling-how-to-avoid-addictive-habit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/dangers-of-doomscrolling-how-to-avoid-addictive-habit\/","title":{"rendered":"The dangers of doomscrolling","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all done it \u2014 you start scrolling through social media and, next thing you know, an hour has passed and now you\u2019re in a bad mood.<\/p>\n

Social media is often flooded with upsetting content that brings down our mood or heightens our anxiety. Rather than turn it off, we continue to scroll. The phenomenon is known as \u201cdoomscrolling.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot going on in the world that can fill your feed with tension-inducing content. Take care of yourself by understanding what doomscrolling is, why you may be drawn to it and how to avoid it.<\/p>\n

Why do we doomscroll?<\/h2>\n

After a long day at work or school, scrolling on our phones is an easy way to de-stress, says Sandra McElliott, MA, MHP, clinical manager of adult outpatient services at Greater Lakes Mental Healthcare<\/a>, a branch of MultiCare Behavioral Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But what starts as relaxing can quickly turn on you when you become addicted to your body\u2019s reaction to scrolling.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddiction starts as something positive that activates the dopamine receptors,\u201d McElliott says. \u201cBut then you\u2019re constantly chasing that high, which doesn\u2019t return.\u201d<\/p>\n

That \u201chigh\u201d is a reward pathway, explains Jeff Eisen, MD, MBA, chief medical officer of MultiCare Behavioral Health. We\u2019ve learned to use social media in ways that keep us coming back for more, but getting caught up in negative media is part of that, too, he warns.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all done it \u2014 you start scrolling through social media and, next thing you know, an hour has passed and now you\u2019re in a bad mood. Social media is often flooded with upsetting content that brings down our mood or heightens our anxiety. Rather than turn it off, we continue to scroll. The phenomenon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":115,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,127],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-behavioral-health","category-healthy-living"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDoomscrolling: Why we get addicted and how to break the habit - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Doomscrolling is the habit of endlessly scrolling through social media feeds. 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