Jump to: navigation, search "Wikipedia addiction" redirects here. For the tongue-in-cheek Wikipedia essay, see Wikipedia:Wikipediholic. See also: Computer addiction and Video game addiction Internet addiction disorder (IAD), or, more broadly, Internet overuse, prolematic computer use or pathological computer use, is excessive computer use that interferes with daily life !"#
$hese terms avoid the distracting and divisive term addiction and are not limited to any single cause %&' was originally proposed as a disorder in a satirical hoax by %van (oldberg, )', in "**+ !,#
-e took pathological gambling as diagnosed by the 'iagnostic and .tatistical )anual of )ental 'isorders ('.)/%0) as his model for the description !1# of %&' %t is not however included in the current '.) as of ,22* %&' receives coverage in the press, and possible future classification as a psychological disorder continues to be debated and researched 3nline activities which, if done in person, would normally be considered troublesome, such as compulsive gambling or shopping, are sometimes called net compulsions !4# 3thers, such as reading or playing computer games, are troubling only to the extent that these activities interfere with normal life .upporters of disorder classification often divide %&' into subtypes by activity, such as excessive, overwhelming, or inappropriate pornography use, !+# gaming, !5# online social networking, blogging, !6# email !7# , or %nternet shopping !*# 3pponents note that compulsive behaviors may not themselves be addictive !"2# Contents !hide# " 8ossible disorder o "" .upport o ", 3pposition , 8revalence 1 8revention and correction 4 .ee also + 9eferences 5 Further reading [edit] Possible disorder $here is debate over whether to include :%nternet &ddiction: as a diagnosis in '.)/0, the next ()ay ,2"1) edition of the '.) .ome argue that %nternet addiction disorder exists and should be included, and some that it is neither an addiction nor a specific disorder and should not be included in '.)/0 %n June ,226, the &merican )edical &ssociation declined to recommend to the &merican 8sychiatric &ssociation that they include %&' as a formal diagnosis in '.)/0, !""# and recommended further study of :video game overuse: !",# .ome members of the &merican .ociety of &ddiction )edicine opposed identifying %nternet overuse and video game overuse as disorders !"1# &mong the research identified as necessary is to find ways to define :overuse: and to differentiate an :%nternet addiction: from obsession, self/medication for depression or other disorders, and compulsion While the existence of %nternet addiction is debated, self/proclaimed sufferers are resorting to the courts for redress %n one &merican case (8acen;a v %<) =orp), the plaintiff argued he was illegally dismissed from his employment in violation of the &mericans with 'isabilities &ct because of %nternet addiction triggered by 0ietnam War/related 8ost/$raumatic .tress 'isorder !"4#!"+# $he case is pending before the court in the .outhern 'istrict of >ew ?ork (case summari;ed in (laser @ =arroll, ,226) [edit] Support &ccording to )aressa 3r;ack, director of the =omputer &ddiction .tudy =enter at -arvard AniversityBs )cCean -ospital, between +D and "2D of Web surfers suffer some form of Web dependency !"5# ¬her supporter, Jeremy (reenfield, 8h' of the =enter for %nternet <ehavior conducted a study with &<= >ewscom in "*** and is author of Virtual !ddiction. -e believes that some services available over the %nternet have uniEue psychological properties which induce dissociation, time distortion, and instant gratification, with about 5D of individuals experiencing some significant impact on their lives -owever, he says it may not best be seen as an addiction but rather as a compulsion (reenfield claims that sex, gaming, gambling, and shopping online can produce a mood/altering effect &ccording to the =enter for %nternet &ddiction 9ecovery (whose director is Fimberly . ?oung, !"6# a researcher who has lobbied for the recognition of net abuse as a distinct clinical disorder), :%nternet addicts suffer from emotional problems such as depression and anxiety/related disorders and often use the fantasy world of the %nternet to psychologically escape unpleasant feelings or stressful situations: !"7# 3ver 52D of people seeking treatment for %&' claim involvement with sexual activities online which they consider inappropriate, such as excessive attention to pornography or involvement in explicit sexual conversations online !"*# )ore than half are also addicted to alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or sex !"7# %n ,227 Jerald J <lock, )', !,2# -ilarie =ash, 8h', !,"# Fim )c'aniel )&, !,"# argued that %nternet addiction should be included as a disorder in the '.)/0 <lock observed that diagnosis was complicated because 75D of study subGects showing %& symptoms also exhibited other diagnosable mental health disorders !,2# & ,22* study suggested that brain structural changes were present in those classified by the researchers as %nternet addicted, similar to those classified as chemically addicted !,,# [edit] Opposition 8sychiatrist 'r (oldberg acknowledges that %nternet addiction disorder is not a true addiction and may in fact be no more than a symptom of other, existing disorders !,1# &n overbroad description of addiction leaves open the possibility of every compensatory behavior being declared an addiction For example, a person who has lengthy telephone conversations with a friend to avoid an unpleasant situation could be declared :addicted to the telephone: with eEual validity as a person who chats on the %nternet with the same underlying goal )ost, if not all :%nternet addicts:, already fall under existing diagnostic labels !,4# For many individuals, overuse or inappropriate use of the %nternet is a manifestation of their depression, anxiety, impulse control disorders, or pathological gambling !,+# %&' is compared to food addiction, in which patients overeat as a form of self/medication for depression, anxiety, etc, without actually being truly addicted to eating %t is possible that a person could have a pathological relationship with a specific aspect of the %nternet, such as bidding on online auctions, viewing pornography, online gaming, or online gambling (which is included under the existing 8athological (ambling), but that does not make the %nternet medium itself addictive For example, !,5# , whether gambling is done on a computer or face/to/face does not affect whether or not it is pathologicalH a person with poor impulse control can lose sleep over a suspenseful novel or favorite television show or a computer game or the temptation to click on another web link &lso, there are significant and critical differences between common %nternet activities (e/mail, chatting, web surfing) and pathological gambling, which the %&' notion heavily parallels $he %nternet is largely a pro/social, interactive, and information/driven medium, while gambling is seen as a single, anti/social behavior that has very little social redeeming value .o/called %nternet addicts do not suffer from the same damage to health and relationships that are common to established addictions !,4# & complete review of the %nternet addiction research at the end of ,227 (<yun et al, ,227) demonstrated significant, multiple flaws in most studies in this area $he researchers wrote in that article, :$he analysis showed that previous studies have utili;ed inconsistent criteria to define %nternet addicts, applied recruiting methods that may cause serious sampling bias, and examined data using primarily exploratory rather than confirmatory data analysis techniEues to investigate the degree of association rather than causal relationships among variables: !,6# $his suggests that much of the prior research done on this issue is invalid !citation needed# [edit] Prevalence $he prevalence of %&' can be attributed to the fact that it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between the online and offline worlds $he %nternet has tremendous potential to affect the emotions of humans and in turn, alter our self/perception and anxiety levels !,7# ,+D of users fulfill %nternet addiction criteria within the first six months of using the %nternet )any individuals initially report feeling intimidated by the computer but gradually feel a sense of :competency and exhilaration from mastering the technology and learning to navigate the applications Euickly by visual stimulation: (<eard 164) $he feeling of exhilaration can be explained by the way %&' sufferers often describe themselves as: bold, outgoing, openminded, intellectually prideful, and assertive !,*# $he 3ttawa .un reports that a "**5 report in the AF :&dvances in 8sychiatric $reatment: claimed that a :significant minority: suffer from :%nternet addiction: !12# Ap to 12D of .outh Foreans under "7, or about ,4 million people, are at risk of %nternet addiction, said &hn 'ong/hyun, a child psychiatrist at -anyang Aniversity in .eoul who Gust completed a three/year government/financed survey of the problem !1"# 'ata from =hina %nternet >etwork %nformation =enter (=%>%=), as of June 12, ,225, showed that ",1 million people had gone online, of which "4*D were teenagers below "7 years old =hou and -siao reported that the incidence rate of %nternet addiction among $aiwan college students was +*D !1,# Wu and Ihu !11# identified "25D of =hinese college students as %nternet addicts !14# & leading <eiGing Gudge, .han Jiuyun, claimed in ,22+ that *2D of Guvenile crime in the city was %nternet/related !1+# $he =hina =ommunist ?outh Ceague claimed in ,226 that over "6D of =hinese citi;ens between "1 and "6 are addicted to the %nternet !15# [edit] Prevention and correction %n many cases, though not all, %nternet overuse corrects itself .arah Fershaw wrote for the >ew ?ork $imes in ,22+: :%t was 8rofessor Fiesler who called %nternet addiction a fad illness %n her view, she said, television addiction is worse .he added that she was completing a study of heavy %nternet users, which showed the maGority had sharply reduced their time on the computer over the course of a year, indicating that even problematic use was self/corrective: !16# =orrective strategies include content/control software, counseling, and cognitive behavioural therapy !17#!1*#!42#!4"# Families in =hina have turned to unlicensed training camps that offer to :wean: their children, often in their teens, from overuse of the %nternet, resulting in the death of at least one youth !4,# %n &ugust ,22*, "eS#!"#, a residential treatment center for :pathological computer use:, opened near .eattle, Washington, Anited .tates !41# %t offers a 4+/day program intended to help people wean themselves from pathological computer use, and can handle up to six patients at a time !44# %n >ovember ,22*, the government in =hina banned physical punishment to :wean: teens from the %nternet Klectro/shock therapy had already been banned !4+# [edit] See also =ompulsive gambling 8ornography addiction .oft addiction 8rocrastination Workaholic 3nline (amers &nonymous [edit] References " ^ <yun, .H . <yun, = 9uffini, J )ills, & 'ouglas, ) >iang, . .tepchenkova, . Cee, J Coutfi, J Cee, ) &tallah, ) <lanton (&pril "2, ,22*) :%nternet &ddiction: )etasynthesis of "**5L,225 Muantitative 9esearch: Cyerpsychology $ %ehavior 12 (,): ,21L6 doi:"2"27*Ncpb,2272"2, %..> "++6/7154 8)%' "*26,26+ http:NNwwwliebertonlinecomNdoiNpdfplusN"2"27*Ncpb,2272"2, , ^ %nternet &ddictionO &ugust 7, "**6 1 ^ :%nternet &ddictive 'isorder (%&')'iagnostic =riteria: http:NNwwwpsycomnetNiadcriteriahtml 9etrieved ,22*/2"/1" 4 ^ $ypes of %nternet addictionO !dead link#