Researchers link psychotic episodes to internet addiction
They have linked psychotic episodes in patients to internet addiction and delusions related to virtual relationships.
While all the participants in a study had social problems such as loneliness, none had previous episodes of psychosis or drug abuse.
Lead researcher Dr Uri Nitzan said: As internet access becomes increasingly widespread, so do related psychopathologies.
Some patients are harmed by these social networking sites, which can attract those who are lonely or vulnerable in their day-to-day lives or act as a platform for cyber-bullying and other predatory behaviour.
Focusing on Dr Nitzans patients, researchers found they had all sought refuge from a lonely situation and found solace in intense virtual relationships.
People should exercise caution online as disappointment can be amplified in the virtual world
Two patients began to feel vulnerable as a result of sharing private information and one even experienced tactile hallucinations, believing the person beyond the screen was physically touching her
Dr Nitzan, of Tel Aviv Universitys Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Shalvata Mental Health Care
Although these relationships were positive at first, they eventually led to feelings of hurt, betrayal and invasion of privacy.
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Social networking site, Facebook, can make you mentally ill, warns study