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Could You Be Addicted to the Internet?
Journal written by Billosaur (927319) and posted by
Zonk
on Fri Sep 22, 2006 04:53 PM
from the all-part-of-the-job-description dept.
from the all-part-of-the-job-description dept.
Billosaur writes "Over at The Register, Dr Stephen Juan has this interesting article on Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). Apparently this has been around since at least 1995 and there are those lobbying for it to be included in the DSM-IV. While some people use the Internet a lot for work or to keep in touch with family & friends as well as banking and bill-paying, it's interesting to thing that some people actually become addicted. There's still a lot of controversy over the diagnosis, whether this is true addiction or not. There is more detailed information available in this paper from Viriginia Tech."
Related Stories
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Games: One In Nine MMOG Players Addicted? 111 comments
Gamespot is running a piece looking at a UK study which may indicate serious addiction problems among a large number of Massively Multiplayer gamers. The study, conducted at Nottingham Trent, showed that almost 12% of a 7,000 person study group showed symptoms of serious addiction, as laid down by the World Health Organization. From the article: "The survey was filled in by a self-selected sample comprising mainly males with an average age of 21, and was concerned principally with the potential for addiction to online gaming. [Director of the International Gaming Research Unit Mark] Griffiths said, 'I'm sure if we'd done this survey looking at non-online players, looking at gamers that play on stand-alone systems, my guess is that... addiction-like symptoms would have been much less prevalent.' According to Griffiths, the problem with online games is there will never be a point where the player has battled the final boss, tied up the story, and can turn the computer off with a feeling of satisfaction."
[+]
Is Internet Addiction a Medical Condition? 227 comments
PreacherTom writes "Arising from such cases as a recent lawsuit with IBM over employee termination due to online sex chatting at work, recent debate over whether Internet abuse is a legitimate addiction, akin to alcoholism, is heating up. From the article: 'Attorneys say recognition by a court — whether in this or some future litigation — that Internet abuse is an uncontrollable addiction, and not just a bad habit, could redefine the condition as a psychological impairment worthy of protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act.' The condition could even make it into the next edition of the American Psychiatric Association's DSM, making it a full-blown neurosis. It wouldn't be a huge surprise, with a recent Stanford study showing that 14% of people state it would be 'hard to stay away from the Net for even a few days in a row."
[+]
Discussion of Internet Addiction as Mental Illness Resurfaces 279 comments
Lone Writer writes "The editorial section of the American Journal of Psychiatry for March offers the opinion that Internet addiction is a 'compulsive-impulsive' disorder, and should be added to the official guidebook of disorders. The editorial characterizes net addiction as including 'excessive gaming, [online] sexual pre-occupations and e-mail/text messaging'. From the article: 'Like other addicts, users experience cravings, urges, withdrawal and tolerance, requiring more and better equipment and software, or more and more hours online, according to Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. Dr. Block says people can lose all track of time or neglect "basic drives," like eating or sleeping. Relapse rates are high, he writes, and some people may need psychoactive medications or hospitalization."
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Internet? (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Internet? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Internet? (Score:5, Insightful)
""Internet Addiction" is just another way to bash the net as an evil place by those who either don't understand its utility, or don't want people to understand its utility"
no, internet addiction is when people turn to the internet even to the point where it is harmfull to them financially or socially.
Why would you think the internet would be an exception to everything else when it comes to addictions?
Parent
What other addictions... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
It may be worse than you think. According to this article I just read today [latimes.com], the average person watches 4 hours and 35 minutes of TV a day. If watching that much TV qualifies as addictive, then TV would have to qualify as most prevalent addiction out there.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
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is the title a rhetorical question? (Score:5, Insightful)
The answer is so obviously "yes" in this audience. Was there any doubt? Why even ask?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I love it... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ward_(scientist
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I know I am (Score:5, Insightful)
Just because you use something often doesn't mean it's an addiction.
Re:I know I am (Score:5, Insightful)
Ditto for e-mail, browsing fark,
And you actually can get addicted to something like walking, running, biking or driving. Just because you aren't does not mean that others haven't been addicted.
Parent
Let's look at behaviour. (Score:4, Insightful)
The Internet - Guys (since most of you are), how long would you have to go without email before you'd have sex with another guy for $5 so you could use an Internet Cafe? (That's if you wouldn't do it for free, anyway.)
Okay, so the Internet is NOT addictive the same way as drugs are.
Cigarettes. Those are addictive. Now, apply the same behavioural process. What would you do for money to buy cigarettes that you would not do for money to buy a CD?
Would you do the same thing(s) for 30 minutes of Internet access?
Okay, so the Internet is NOT addictive the same way cigarettes are.
And so on and so forth. Until you get to the point where the Internet is no more "addictive" than telephones or television or radio.
Parent
The material is not addictive. (Score:3, Insightful)
Because normal, adjusted people do not prostitute themselves so they can watch TV.
Yes, they do.
But you're confusing the material being addictive with a person having an obsessive disorder.
And obsessive person will become "addicted" to anything.
The question is whether a non-obsessive person can become
Re: (Score:2)
Absolutely!
I'm not addicted.
I only use it for legitimate, work-related purposes!
Certainly I wouldn't be reading slashdot in the middle of the day when I'm supposed to be working or anything!
I can quit any time I want.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Just because you use/do something often doesn't imply that there aren't people who become obssesed with that something. Ever talk to a hard core auto racer? Better be conversant about tires and spring rates, because that's likely the only thing in her head.
On the other hand, you ever start to get the impression that there are people obessesed with labeling every obsession as a clinical addiction? Well, that is to say every obsession they do
Re: (Score:2)
Do you derive great satisfaction solely from driving your car, and increasingly think only of your next opportunity to drive the longer it has been since your last drive? Do you start fidgeting and having nervous fits the longer you are away from your car?
Do other areas of your life start to suffer because you are out driving your car, for no other reason than to simply be driving?
Assume you are on vacation, are fully stocked up on supplies
Help! I've got Addiction Addiction (Score:5, Funny)
I'm addicted to calling everything and anything that people enjoy doing an addiction. I get wads of cash for treating these so-called addictions, and I have a powerful co-enabler called the pharmaceutical industry telling me it's all okay and I should keep doing it. What should I do?
Signed,
I'll take 'The Rapists' for $500, Alex.
(Please, if there are any psychologists or psychiatrists who read Slashdot, don't have me committed. It's a joke, m'kay?)
Parent
Re:I know I am (Score:5, Interesting)
To be diagnosed as having foo Addiction Disorder, a person must meet certain
criteria as prescribed by the American Psychiatric Association. Three or more of these
criteria must be present at any time during a twelve month period:
2. Two or more withdrawal symptoms developing within days to one month after
reduction of foo or cessation of foo (i.e., quitting cold turkey) , and these
must cause distress or impair social, personal or occupational functioning. These include:
psychomotor agitation, i.e. trembling, tremors; anxiety; obsessive thinking about what is
happening with respect to foo; fantasies or dreams about foo; voluntary or involuntary
imitation of the movements characteristic of foo.
(the mere act of thinking about foo while not engaged in foo presumably qualifies as "fantasies")
3. Use of the Internet is engaged in to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms.
(if thinking about foo qualifies as withdrawal, then engaging in foo qualifies as relief of withdrawal)
5. A significant amount of time is spent in activities related to foo.
By this standard of addiction, any activity which one both considers ("fantasies") and practices, and which occupies a significant amount of time (even if it's simply liesure time), qualifies as an addiction.
Seems like a pretty broken definition to me.
Parent
Re:I know I am (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Symptoms list is s/alcohol/internet (Score:5, Insightful)
Isn't that last one just teh stupid? It's cribbed word-for-word from a typical symptom of alcholism, as are the rest.
Even if there are still ISPs in the world that charge by the MB, it just doesn't fly. Now, if they were talking about "unexpected" credit card charges, maybe... but pr0n addiction
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The $400 per month fees are terrible, but at least I have plenty of bandwidth.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
1. Let's say you're addicted to a certain facet of the internet, such as porn, MMORPG, ebay, whatever. If you're an alcohol addict but you primarily spend all of your money on Bacardi Rum, does that make you a Bacardi addict?
2. I think the root of the issue is that people are addicted to the interconnectedness, the constant flow of information, the need to be 'in' on something because you feel like you'd be missing out, whether it's a WoW raid or usenet discussion, i
Maybe yes, maybe no... (Score:5, Funny)
"Fetal Internet Syndrome" (Score:5, Funny)
My friends new Windows box is addicted, and it was never exposed, new from the store... computers with this syndrome have serious mental lapses if they can't get on the Internet to chat with Microsoft in the first thiry days after being turned on, and on a regular basis after that.
-- Terry
One sign of addiction (Score:5, Funny)
Re:One sign of addiction (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Re:One sign of addiction (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Right (Score:2)
On the other hand, where there's a problem there's money to be made prolonging the solution.
Dr R.D. MD, BA, MIEEE
Internet Councilor
Book now, only $932,377 per session!
Can't ANYTHING be addictive? (Score:5, Insightful)
I mean really, if addiction is defined as depending on the chemicals that are generated when we feel "good" wouldn't an excess of ANYTHING that makes us feel "good" be a candidate for a cause? And wouldn't it be expected that potential causes of addiction depend on the individual? Some are obvious and would impact virtually anyone (chemical manipulation) but other behaviors which don't directly alter mood via chemical means I would intuitively expect to be more subtle.
Heh, maybe anti-social people (not the angry, dangerous wackos but those who are just indifferent to and/or dislike social situations) would argue that the rest of us are addicted to social interaction.
Anybody with a medical degree around here that can point to some definitive definition of the word "addiction" and what it means, medically?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
- Jumping off of very tall cliffs
- Swimming with hungry sharks
- Watching "Dancing with the Stars"
Especially the last one; eventually I would have no choice but to poke out my eyeballs or go swim with some hungry sharks or something.
Corrections (Score:3, Interesting)
Jacques Cousteau, Steve Irwin (RIP), etc.
Somebody's watching it. Otherwise, they're wasting the cable!!!
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Yes it is completely possible to become addicted to damn near anything even remotely enjoyable. You
Professionals... (Score:2)
A need for an ever increasing amount of time on the internet to achieve satisfaction or a dissatisfaction with the continued use of the same amount of time on the internet.
As my work gets more and more complicated, and my programs longer and longer, I end up only achieving satisfaction when I've spent more than the usual amount of time in front of the computer.
Two or more withdrawal symptoms developing within days, weeks, or up to a month after a reduction or cessation of internet use. These include
addicted to broadband (Score:2)
I think part of the addictive effect the article describes is simply because of the volume and quantity of information available, as well as the interactivity
Less of a "disorder" than 75% of americans (Score:3, Interesting)
Like my friends who take drugs say. (Score:5, Insightful)
I just dont want to, and you arent going to convince me to stop.
OF COURSE im addicted to internet (Score:2)
If this is an addiction, we need more addiction in this world.
There must be a new patented drug for it (Score:2)
Wonderful. Is there any recent drug patent for treating Internet addiction?
I mean, now there are drugs for treating "social anxiety disorder" -- apparantly now being shy or introverted is a disorder in ther DSM-IV, right? And that disorder requires treatment by expensive prescription drugs (the R&D of which was probably paid for by your tax dollars to boot). That and other so-called "dis
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
That might work for a lot of people who just think they're depressed because it's the new thing on TV. If somebody truly is clinically depressed, they *can't* leave that dark room. It's not for lack of wanting - but the depression just prevents them from doing anything.
No. (Score:4, Informative)
And, perhaps the crux: "(VII) Internet use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical, family, social, occupational, or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by Internet use (e.g., sleep deprivation, marital difficulties, lateness for early morning appointments, neglect of occupational duties, or feelings of abandonment in significant others)"
I'm not saying there aren't people out there with problems, but you don't create a new disorder for every new communication/information tool. Do we have telephone addiction disorder? fax machine addiction disorder? television addiction disorder? Hey, I know, lets make a myspace addiction disorder and a friendster addiction disorder and a slash-- er wait.
sleep dep, maritial difficulties and the like are signs of other disorders, like depression. (or just a general state of distress).
The 'article' linked by the submitter is fluff, there is nothing empirical in it. It is also missing nearly 9 years of critiques of IAD. Why did this submission happen?
I learned it from watching you, Dad! (Score:5, Funny)
Winstons taste good (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
of course not. the nerve to actually suggest that i'm addicted!
I can stop any time that I want to. In fact, after I finish submitting this post, linking to it from my del.icio.us account, blogging about it, making a video mash up of some select sounds from the blog post and uploading it to youtube and google video and visiting Zefrank's page for the 20th time today, i'll work on my network programming thing that's been pending for the last 2 months.
I'm TOTALLY in control of my life. thankyouverymuch./p?