I don’t think Facebook causes depression, but I do think it can contribute to it. If you already have a robust sense of self-esteem, seeing your friends’ posts about promotions and parties isn’t going to cause you to become depressed. If your self-esteem is more fragile, as it is for many people, repeatedly seeing those kinds of posts can definitely make you feel that something is wrong with you, or that your life doesn’t measure up to the fabulous lives of your Facebook friends.Your friends are generally very selective about what they post on Facebook. They generally don’t post about the things that aren’t going well for them. They post about professional successes, social events, or vacations. This makes it very easy to buy into the idea that everyone else’s life is more exciting, more fulfilling, or more glamorous than your own. If you’re already feeling depressed, this can be very seductive. It can certainly make you feel worse about yourself.When is Facebook positive, and when does it hurt? Facebook and other social media can play a positive role in your life in many ways. You can reconnect with people from your past, who you otherwise might not even be able to locate. You can maintain ties with people who aren’t your closest friends, but who still matter to you. You can stay in closer touch with family members who live far away.What’s less positive is the way that Facebook encourages you to present yourself in only the most positive—and therefore unrealistic—light. On Facebook, you’re not just engaging with close friends and loved ones. Everything you post goes out to acquaintances or people you barely know.For that reason, you’re not going to post about things that make you feel vulnerable, like problems at work or in your relationships. You’re not going to share pictures of a child who’s having problems, or a parent who is ill. Since potential employers look at your Facebook page, you’re not going to post anything that might threaten your chances of getting a job.Facebook can also be harmful, I think, when you feel pressured to be on it all the time. FOMO—fear of missing out—can make you feel that you have to be glued to your screen 24/7. Measuring your popularity, or self-worth, by how many “likes” you get means that you’re only as good as the number of people who responded to your most recent post.Some of these negative aspects of Facebook present particular difficulties for younger people, I think. If you’re a teenager or a twenty-something, you’re still figuring out who you’re going to be in life. Facebook can play a complicated role in that process.I recently read a heartbreaking article (ESPN Instagram) about a young college student who was posting inspirational quotes, and smiling photos of herself, right up until the day she killed herself. Even as she was suffering from terrible depression, she felt she had to project a positive image on Instagram.This is a tragic illustration of the way that social media can put tremendous pressure on you to hide your true feelings, in order to live up to an image of who you think you need to be.How can you have a healthier relationship with Facebook?It can help you to remember that what people are posting on Facebook is just a tiny sliver of what’s going on in their lives. Think about people you’re close friends with, and think about what they’re posting online. You probably know a lot about their lives that they’re not sharing.It’s also important to think about what you want from your real, in-person relationships. Can you find ways to feel more open with other people, and to share more about what’s really going on in your life? If you can find people who are willing to share more about their real lives, you’ll find that those lives are far from perfect. This can relieve you of the burden of needing to present a perfect image to the world.If you’re susceptible to depression, it’s really important to notice how you feel when you’re on Facebook. If it’s consistently making you feel worse about yourself, it’s time to get away from your computer or your iPhone, and spend time with people who know and love you for who you are—not for the image you present on social media.Click here to learn if comparing yourself to others is a definitive sign of depression. Click to learn more about depression therapy and treatment with Jane Rubin, Ph.D.