Internet Addiction Disorder
Internet Addiction
Internet Addiction Disorder is a disease that has emerged in recent years and is at the time still new in terms of identification of symptom and treatment options as well. This work will research and examine information relating to the disorder illustrated in Internet usage, or over-use according to some.
Evidence of Internet Addiction Disorder
Stated symptoms of Internet Addiction are: (1) Using the online services everyday without any skipping; (2) Loosing track of time after making a connection; (3) Going out less and less; (4) Spending less and less time on meals at work or at home, eating in from of the computer monitor; (5) Denial of spending too much time online; (6) Others complaining of too much time being spent online; (7) Checking email too many times a day; (8) Thinking one has the best web site of all and pushing ones' URL upon people; (9) Logging onto the Net while already busy at work; (10) Sneaking online when spouse of family members not at home with a sense of relief. (Source: Addictions and Life Page: Symptoms of Internet Addiction (2005) Retrieved from the Internet 08-20-2005.
http://www.addictions.org/internet.htm)
II. Symptoms & Clinical Implications
Ivan Goldberg, a New York psychiatrist announced in 1995 that a new addiction had culminated which left individuals neglecting obligations to the family in order to surf the Internet. Mental health experts agree that while an invaluable service has been made available to people in many aspects the Net has also created a new addiction all its' own.
Goldberg did not mean for his announcement to be taken seriously however Kimberly Young assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburg at Bradford in the State of Pennsylvania believes that the disorder exists. Young conducted an exploratory study through use of a seven-item questionnaire. In Young's work Internet Addiction: The Emergency of a New Clinical Disorder Young states: This paper concludes that people can and do become addicted to the Internet, which should be a growing concern among mental health practitioners." She said that symptoms include preoccupation with the Internet, an inability to control Internet use, and restlessness or irritability when attempting to cut down on Internet use."
Another who shares the view of Young is Maressa Hecht Orzack. PhD, who founded and coordinates the Computer Addiction Services at McLean Hospital in Belmont Massachusetts, Orzack states that "There are unique things here that don't seem to exist in other areas of addiction. The connection that people get from chats and e-mail is quite different than sitting there doing word-processing."
According to clinical psychological and director of the Dublin, Ohio-based Mental Health Net, John Grohol "The problem is that that's not how we create new mental disorder in the scientific field of mental health. People don't just dream up the criteria and post it to the Internet. That's not the say its' done. Its' done after years of research that shows this is a distinct and unique disorder." (Nurseweek/Healthweek Interview)
Interestingly, the Mental Health Net legitimated IAD by including at its Web site Goldberg's symptoms and other online addiction resources without explanation about the joke played by Goldberg'. However, Grohol has changed the page titled to Internet Addiction Disorder to read: "Due to the fact that the so-called internet addiction disorder" has not yet been validated by empirical research, we believe it to be fueling the fire behind the misinformation to publish the joke criteria for the disorder which began as a parody here." The question remaining is what to do with the masses of people seeking treatment for this disorder.
A study conducted by Greenfiled and through use of one of the largest surveys on the topic of 18,000 Internet users in 1998 logging onto ABCNews.com states findings that 5.7% of the sample met criteria for compulsive Internet use. Stated is that, "Those findings square with figures from smaller studies done by others, which range from 6% to 14%. Study participants who met Greenfield's criteria (adapted from criteria for compulsive gambling) were particularly hooked on chat rooms, pornography, online shopping and e-mail, he found. About a third said they use the Internet...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now