'Doomscrolling' & 'bed rotting': How unhealthy coping strategies are making our mental health worse

Worrying new data has revealed widespread use of unhealthy coping mechanisms by people when they are “stressed, anxious, or low.”

The stats, seen by Forth 1 and released to mark Mental Health Awareness Week show three in five people had taken harmful actions to cope with poor mental health in the past month.

This includes:

• A significant proportion of the UK population report isolating themselves (25%)
• spending more time scrolling social media (23%) as a way to cope with anxiety stress and low mood

That's despite a strong body of evidence which suggests these actions can be harmful to individuals.

Young people more likely to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms

The research from the Mental Health Foundation, explores public attitudes and behaviours around taking action for good mental health.

While the level of harmful coping behaviours is concerning across the population, the findings were particularly stark for younger generations.

Under 35s were significantly more likely to use social media more than usual to address negative emotions, known as 'doomscrolling’ than those between 35-54 or above.

They were also more likely to isolate themselves than those older than them.

Other harmful actions that a significant number said they had done to cope with their mental health included comfort eating or overeating (22%), and oversleeping/not getting out of bed (20%) – increasingly referred to by some as “bed rotting.”

Young people "bed rotting" when they struggle with low mood

Mark Rowland, Chief Executive at the Mental Health Foundation said: “This polling tells us that, despite the progress in increasing awareness around mental health, too many of us have yet to translate awareness into effective action.

"Instead, our data shows a concerning number of people, especially young people, are taking actions to cope with poor mental health that could be making their situation worse.

“Behaviours like self-isolation, doomscrolling, and bed-rotting are not only potentially harmful in themselves, but they can also cut us off from the positive influences on our mental health, like community and connection to nature.

Mental Health coping mechanisms that actually work

While harmful actions were widespread, the polling also shows a significant number of people are taking helpful actions that can reduce the risk of poor mental health.

72% of people had taken at least one helpful action to support their mental health, with the most popular being accessing nature (30%), doing something enjoyable like a hobby (28%), and taking part in physical activity (27%).

However, half of people in the UK (50%) are doing at least one harmful ‘coping’ mechanism alongside their positive ‘supporting’ actions.

Taking action to improve your mental health

Mark continued: “While harmful coping mechanisms are far too widespread, especially among young people, the good news is that many people in the UK are also taking actions that can improve their mental health.

"Connecting with nature, spending time with others, doing things we love, and getting moving are all great ways to keep our mood positive and address anxieties and stress.

"Encouraging people to drop the negative coping mechanisms, and instead only focus on those actions which improve mental health, is vital to tackling poor mental health in the UK."

Get support for your mental health

If you've been impacted by poor mental health, or know someone who has, you can learn more about the steps you can take on through the Mental Health Foundation.

If you want to find services that are local to you, you can use the Hub of Hope.

If you believe someone's life could be in danger, call 999.