Study states internalising feelings can be fatal for mental health

Internalising feelings is more common than you think. Internalising feelings refer to when one either doesn’t or are unable to express their feelings. According to researchers from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, adolescents who spend 3 hours or more on social media may report high levels of internalising behaviour as compared to adolescents who do not use social media at all.


Many people do not even realise that they may be bottling up their feelings. This inadvertently harms them. This can lead to certain adverse health conditions. Usually, it gives rise to mental disorders and causes feelings of isolation and unworthiness. This is especially true in teenagers who also have the added burden of going through a lot of issues related to growing up. It can also be manifested as feelings of restlessness, over-sensitivity, unnatural fear, loneliness, sadness and depression.

Researchers in the new study studied the time adolescents spent on social media and two distinct types of behaviours that may indicate mental health problems. These are internalising and externalising. Symptoms of the former disorder include social withdrawal, anxiety, depression and anxiety issues. Symptoms in the latter are aggressive behaviour, being anti-social and a generally defiant attitude.

This is basically an emotional disorder that leads to mental problems like depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among others. It can also lead to poor self-confidence and self-esteem and this can hurt academic performance.

This disorder is also very common among teenagers. At times, it can lead to anti-social activities. Other symptoms are violence, disregard for rules, hyperactivity, frequent lying, kleptomania and use of foul language among others. Such teenagers may also be prone to substance abuse and subsequent addiction. Here also, as a parent, you have to try and understand the root cause of the problem and try to solve it. You may also seek professional help and treatment options may include cognitive behavioural therapy and parent management training.