The Internet has made a profound impact on life worldwide. Many people rely on the Internet to make a living, while others incorporate the Internet seamlessly into their social lives or as a form of entertainment. However, for many people, the Internet presents a haven that becomes a retreat and, ultimately, withdrawal from the real world. The health effects that result can be serious and sometimes even life-threatening.
Addiction-Related Symptoms
While there is little dispute that some individuals find it difficult or impossible to limit their use of the Internet, as of 2009, the American Psychiatric Association, or APA, did not recognize Internet addiction as a separate disorder, according to the "Khaleej Times." Some mental health professionals believe Internet addiction is actually an outgrowth of underlying disorders, such as sexual addiction and compulsive gambling.
Another theory is that what looks like Internet addiction is actually a means of using technology to drive a compulsive need for stimulation, according to MentalHelp.net. Indeed, the Internet provides a ready source of pornography, online gambling and potentially addictive online games.
However, Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon writing for the "American Journal of Psychiatry," claims that compulsive Internet use should be recognized as a bona fide mental disorder. According to Dr. Block, compulsive Internet users share symptoms commonly associated with addiction: neglect of basic drives such as food, sleep or sex in favor of continued Internet use; withdrawal symptoms when they attempt or are forced to limit Internet use; tolerance, requiring more time online and more elaborate equipment, and negative repercussions.
For example, Ben Alexander, a 19-year-old student at the University of Iowa, spent up to 17 hours per day playing the online game "World of Warcraft". He neglected his social life and his studies and eventually flunked out of school, according to the "Khaleej Times."
Extreme Social Withdrawal
The Internet can serve as a stand-in for regular social life, providing companionship to the exclusion of real-world relationships, according to the Milwaukee School of Engineering. According to MentalHelp net, the anonymous nature of the Internet is one of its most seductive qualities, allowing Internet addicts the opportunity to indulge in deviant sexual or other activities in isolation, with little or no fear of judgment. Internet abuse is associated with loneliness, withdrawal and substance abuse, according to the University of Notre Dame.
The problem is not unique to the United States. According to a government-financed study described by the "New York Times," about 2.4 million South Koreans under age 18, nearly a third of the adolescent population, are at risk of Internet addiction. One participant beginning a boot-camp program in South Korea designed for hard-core Internet addicts, used the computer up to 17 hours per day, enjoying more social success in the online world than in the real world. He insisted that his computer use was not excessive, although later in the program, he considered reducing his time in front of the computer to five hours per day. China has similar boot-camp programs in place, according to "Reuters."
Self-Harm and Death
A study of adolescents in China, published in the journal "Injury Prevention" and described in KidGlue, claimed that Internet addicts were twice as likely to engage in self-harm as teens who did not did not use the computer excessively. Some computer addicts neglect even basic needs such as sleep and food. In extreme cases, death occurs from starvation or related causes, according to the Milwaukee School of Engineering. The "New York Times" also reports cases in South Korea where computer addicts literally drop dead from exhaustion after days of endless computer gaming.
References
- Khaleej Times Online: Internet Addictions Center Opens in the US
- American Journal of Psychiatry: Issues for DSM-V-- Internet Addiction, Jerald Block, MD
- The New York Times: In Korea, a Boot Camp Cure for Web Obsession, Marvin Fackler
- Milwaukee School of Engineering: Internet Addiction
- Reuters: China Bans Physical Punishment for Internet Addicts
