NEW research led by the University of Bradford shows large numbers of people are being traumatised by violent and disturbing photos of news events on social media.

Scientists, led by Dr Pam Ramsden from the University of Bradford, made the findings after investigating the psychological effects images relating to distressing events such as the 9/11 Twin Tower terror attacks and the murder of fusilier Lee Rigby had on people.

They found that 22 per cent of the 189 people chosen at random to take part in the study, were suffering symptoms commonly associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) triggered by what they had seen on Twitter and Facebook.

The most affected appeared to be drawn to the images, watching them over and over again and re-traumatising themselves, according to the study.

PTSD symptoms include nightmares, anxiety attacks, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and hyper-vigilance that can sometimes last for years.

Dr Ramsden says people should now be warned that certain individuals can be damaged by viewing such images, she also says PTSD is being sometimes misdiagnosed as depression.

Normally it is soldiers, police officers, and victims of accidents, crimes and disasters who get it but so called vicarious trauma - known to affect healthcare workers and court jurors - can happen as a result of indirect exposure to other people's suffering.

Dr Ramsden said: "The ones who had been traumatised had consistently viewed these images. They were consistently viewing them - looking them up - as if they were drawn to them. Previous research has shown that police officers, for example, can become desensitised. I expected to find the same thing here, but I saw the exact opposite. These people were continually re-traumatising themselves."

She said seeing something sad or moving might chime with aspects of personal experience. Parents, for instance, were more likely to be disturbed by news items such as the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

"It can completely alter your life, affecting your employment and general outlook. Higher levels of alcoholism and drug abuse are associated with PTSD because of self-medication. Before social media, you could decide whether to watch distressing items on the news. Now these things just come at you all the time, and once you see an image it can't be erased from your mind. "I don't know what can be done. Unless you get off Twitter and Facebook you can't stop it. With increased access to social media and the internet via tablets and smartphones we need to ensure that people are aware of the risks of viewing these images, and that appropriate support is available. People should be warned that if we're viewing this material, damage can occur to certain individuals."