LONDON: Facebook can either help people recover from mental health problems or make their symptoms worse, a new research shows, adding that the key is to use the social networking tool cautiously and strategically.

While some participants in the study found that having a Facebook profile played a part in rebuilding their identities after a mental health crisis, others said it had worsened their condition.

“We found their paranoid, manic and depressive symptoms could worsen as well as improve while being on Facebook,” lead researcher Keelin Howard told the gathering at the British Sociological Association’s annual conference in Glasgow this week.

Howard from the Buckinghamshire New University carried out research with 20 people aged 23-68 who had experienced conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety.

She found that social media like Facebook could provide a source of social support and connection that were important for recovery.

“Many participants spoke of the way Facebook could enhance their mood through keeping up with their friends, and through receiving positive self-affirmation when other people liked or left comments on their posts,” she noted.

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