Addiction is characterized by a dependence on or chronic craving for a substance or behavior. Internet addiction, while not yet defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is now under debate for inclusion in the 2012 edition. For people who spend hours online, have missed work or school because of their computer activities, or perhaps lost friends and lost interest in other hobbies, it's likely that they may have a compulsive addiction.
Who Is Addicted to the Internet
In 2008, Jerald J. Block, M.D, a leading Internet addiction researcher in the United States, wrote in the American Journal of Psychiatry that online addiction seems to be a common disorder that warrants admission in the DSM-V. It is a diagnostic disorder that has three distinct subtypes: excessive gamers, those preoccupied with sex, and those who compulsively e-mail and or text.
Signs of Internet Addiction
There are four characteristics common to people with an Internet addiction. First, users lose track of time and neglect basic needs. Second, when not using the computer or not having access to one, addicts experience feelings of anger, tension or depression. Third, as a person's addiction worsens, the need for such things as better computer equipment, more software and faster machinery is a form of tolerance. Finally, negative repercussions will result from the addiction: People may lie to friends, family or employers about how they spend their time; achievement at work or school can suffer; and addicts may become socially isolated and lose sleep.
Statistics
Although research in the United States is lacking, data coming from South Korea tells a lot about Internet addiction. A "New York Times" article published in 2007 reports that 2.4 million South Koreans under the age of 18 are at risk of becoming addicted to the Internet, according to Hanyang University child psychiatrist Ahn Dong-hyun. Kids there are spending at least two hours a day online. And one of the only reasons there is no concrete data on the amount of time spent online in the United States is because in Asia, kids frequently use Internet cafes, where their computer habits can be tracked more easily. Block, who is a psychiatrist at Oregon Health and Science University, estimates that up to 9 million Americans may be at risk for this disorder, what he has coined "pathological computer user."
Effects
Like anyone else with an addiction, those who are hooked on the Internet report problems associated with their computer use.
In a survey of over 2,500 adults in the United States, conducted by Elias Aboujaoude, M.D., from Stanford University School of Medicine, 4 percent of respondents reported having a preoccupation with the Internet when they were offline. Fourteen percent had a hard time staying off their computer for four consecutive days. Eleven percent regularly stayed online for longer than they had intended. Six percent went online regularly to escape depression or a bad mood.
Evidence like this is what's fueling the campaign to recognize pathological computer use as a legitimate mental disorder.
What's Next
One of the biggest hurdles facing Internet addicts is that it's not practical to stop using a computer altogether. In 2008, a study funded by the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Lexapro and published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, researchers led by E. Hollander, M.D., gave compulsive Internet users escitalopram, the generic form of Lexapro, for 10 weeks. Part of that group was then switched to a placebo and both groups continued taking the medication for nine weeks. Both groups had a healthy response in the first phase of the study. Users went from using the Internet for 36 hours down to 16. Both groups, however, continued to do well even after the placebo round of the study was initiated.
