Prechter Program Collaboration with the University of Michigan Department of Psychology

Facebook Use and Psychology -- Prechter Bipolar Longitudinal Study Collaboration

A collaboration with Patricia Deldin, Ph.D. at the University of Michigan Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center and Ethan Kross, Ph.D. at the University of Michigan Psychology Department, this study seeks to understand the relationship between Facebook use, emotions, and various everyday life behaviors in people with and without bipolar disorder. Prechter participants grant us access to their Facebook walls, which we anonymize and analyze in conjunction with their diagnostic information. The findings from this study have the potential to shed light on how people can effectively use personal websites in ways that buffer against psychological distress and facilitate mental health.

This study has received approval from IRBMED: HUM00103528