Internet addiction disorder

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Internet addiction disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A maladaptive pattern of Internet use, leading to clinically significant impairment or distress as manifested by three (or more) of the following, occurring at any time in the same 12-month period:

1. Tolerance, as defined by either of the following:
   • A need for markedly increased amounts of time on Internet to achieve satisfaction.
   • Markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of time on Internet.
2. Withdrawal, as manifested by either A or B below:
   • (A) the characteristic withdrawal syndrome, 1, 2 and 3 below
     1. Cessation of (or reduction in) Internet use that has been heavy and prolonged.
     2. Two (or more) of the following, developing within several days to a month after Criterion:
        • (a) psychomotor agitation
        • (b) anxiety
        • (c) obsessive thinking about what is happening on the Internet
        • (d) fantasies or dreams about the Internet
        • (e) voluntary or involuntary typing movements of the fingers
     3. The symptoms in Criterion 2 cause distress or impairment in social, occupational or another important area of functioning
   • (B) Use of Internet or a similar on-line service is engaged in to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms.
3. Internet is often accessed more often or for longer periods of time than was intended.
4. There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control Internet use.
5. A great deal of time is spent in activities related to Internet use (for example, buying Internet books, trying out new WWW browsers, researching Internet vendors, organizing files of downloaded materials).
6. Frequent talks about the Internet in daily life.
7. Important family, social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced in duration and/or frequency because of Internet use.
8. 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 (for example, sleep deprivation, marital difficulties, lateness for early morning appointments, neglect of occupational duties, or feelings of abandonment in significant others).

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Criticisms

It has been argued by Internet researchers, including Carol Potera and Jonathan Bishop, that there is no such thing as Internet Addiction. With the Internet being a social medium, it is believed that people cannot be addicted to the medium of the Internet, which is considered to be an environment, but merely to aspects of that medium such as bidding on online auctions or viewing internet pornography. Also, there are significant differences between internet use and Pathological Gambling, which the IAD theory heavily parallels. The Internet is largely a pro-social, interactive, and informational-driven medium, while gambling is seen as a single, anti-social behavior that has very little social redeeming value.
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Examples

• Website Forums
• Chatrooms
• Internet pornography.
• Fantasy sports websites such as Yahoo! and ESPN have been known to addict users to their services.
• Websites such as MySpace, Wikipedia, LiveJournal, Xanga, Xuqa, and Facebook are reputed to occupy users for periods in excess of 5 hours.
• There have been various articles on the addictive quality of MMORPGs such as Everquest, RuneScape, and World of Warcraft.
• Social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us, digg.com or webslideshow sites like web2.0slides, webfalls.com occupy users for hours trying to satisfy a non specific lack of information.
• Some members of Wikipedia identify themselves as "Wikipediholics." This label obviously is not applied seriously in all cases, but these individuals should not be dismissed as using it exclusively in a humorous sense either.
• Instant messaging programs such as AIM.

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Treatment clinic

In March 2005, a government clinic for Internet addiction was opened at the Beijing Military Region Central Hospital in People's Republic of China. It treats patients, mostly youths between the age of 14 to 24, who suffer from anxiety, depression, and lack of sleep, often due to long hours on online video games and chats. Treatments include Internet "cold turkey", counseling, physical activity, antidepressants, and enforcement of strict regular sleeping patterns. [1]