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Binge watch TV shows? Could be sign of mental health issue

Posted at 11:55 AM, Feb 16, 2015
and last updated 2015-02-16 13:55:18-05

Do you love to binge watch your favorite TV shows? New research is showing it could be a sign of a mental health issue.

Binge watching is defined as “watching multiple episodes of a TV program in rapid succession.”

The practice has become part of pop culture.

With thousands of shows from “House of Cards” to “Game of Thrones” to “Downton Abbey” available 24/7 at the click of a button, binge watching is booming.

A recent survey from TIVO claims more than 90 percent of viewers binge watch their favorite shows.

Even former President Bill Clinton said he watched the entire first season of “House of Cards” in just a few days.

Now a new study from the University of Texas at Austin suggests binge watching could be a sign of a serious health issue, depression.

Researchers are not claiming binge watching makes people depressed, they said the more lonely and depressed participants were more likely to binge watch TV.

Their advice, all things in moderation, including TV.