Is there anyone here that is NOT depressed?

[CapnAwesome]

Again, I'm not intending to offend anyone, but there is a correlation between depression and heavy internet use. Many people on these forums are addicted to the internet, many are depressed. Of course I can't prove that it has anything to do with it because I don't feel like spending hours researching everyone's personal history just to prove a point. However I'd be extremely surprised if it didn't contribute to some people's problems.

If it isn't what's causing your depression and you are aware of your own problems and what is causing them then I don't see any reason to be offended.

I think it's the other way around. Internet addiction is a consequence of depression. Atheists who are not depressed are too busy doing other things instead of posting.

I think that very well could be the case or possibly the two are just a mix that contribute to one another. People start to be depressed and so they start to use the internet more, which means they spend less time outside, less time socializing, so they become more depressed, so they spend more time on the internet, and become more depressed. I mean the sad thing is the spiral. However the wrong attitude is to say 'well I'm depressed, I can't do anything about it, it's not caused by anything, feel bad for me.'

I feel mildly uncomfortable saying these things, because I don't really like making anyone feel bad and because invariably you are thrown into a major guilt trip for 'attacking the mentally ill'. However pointing out that depression maybe caused by something (it wouldn't be treatable if it weren't) isn't the same as attacking someone. I wish the best for the people on here dealing with depression, but most of the time the best would be for them to spend less time on the internet and more time outside.