Internet addiction is currently classified by mental health professionals as an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a mild to severe mental health condition that results in an urge to engage in ritualistic thoughts and behavior, such as excessive hand washing or, in the case of the Internet, Web surfing.
Another definition: “Internet addiction disorder,” a pathological condition that can lead to anxiety and severe depression.
According to Wikipedia: "Internet addiction disorder" (IAD) is a theorized disorder originally made as a satirical hoax.
"It was Professor Kiesler who called Internet addiction a fad illness. In her view, she said, television addiction is worse. She added that she was completing a study of heavy Internet users, which showed the majority had sharply reduced their time on the computer over the course of a year, indicating that even problematic use was self-corrective.
According to Maressa Hecht Orzack, director of the Computer Addiction Study Center at Harvard University's McLean Hospital, between five and ten percent of Web surfers suffer some form of Web dependency.
According to the Center for Internet Addiction, "Internet addicts suffer from emotional problems such as depression and anxiety-related disorders and often use the fantasy world of the Internet to psychologically escape unpleasant feelings or stressful situations."
More articles, tests, quizes and treatment links:
* According to the Stanford University School of Medicine Study, 1 out of 8 Americans suffer from Internet Addiction, 14% of respondents found it hard to abstain from Internet use for several days; 5.9% said excessive Internet use affected their relationships; 8.2% said the Internet was a means of escape from the real world.
* Take a quiz at "Psych Central.com. They suggest: "Use this brief screening measure to help you determine if you might need to see a mental health or other social services professional to help you successfully deal with "Internet addiction."
Quiz link:"Are You Addicted to the Internet?
* Another test from "Counselling Resource.com":Internet addiction test
* Mental help.net provides information about Internet Addiction
* "The more depressed an adolescent is, the more time he or she will spend on the Internet, says researcher Sang Kyu Lee, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at Hallym University in Chunchon, Korea. The study shows that about 11% of the teens were "highly addicted to the Internet," Lee says. "Less than one-third were in the no-risk group."
Read full article: Internet Addiction May Mask Teen Depression
* An article at "Forbs.com":
"Between 5% and 10% of Web surfers suffer a Web dependency, according to experts like Maressa Hecht Orzack, director of the Computer Addiction Study Center at Harvard's McLean Hospital. They experience the same cravings and withdrawal symptoms as, say, a compulsive gambler waylaid en route to Vegas. She refers most of her Net-addicted patients to psychiatrists for prescriptions for antidepressants and antianxiety meds."
Read full article:
This Is Your Brain on Clicks
* A very useful and informative article from "New York Times":
Critics Pick Apart Study on Internet and Depression
* "Net Addiction.com" provide an array of educational resources on Internet Addiction for professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds. The site is dedicated to helping people who suffer from this new form of addictive behavior
Take a test at the site: Internet Addiction Test(IAT)
* Saying No to the Net
A senior (psychiatrist) lecturer at Tel Aviv University, Dr. Pinhas Dannon is known worldwide for work in the area of gambling and addiction, a major research focus for him since 1995. He groups internet addiction with other extreme addictive disorders such as gambling, sex addiction and kleptomania.
Two groups are at greatest risk from Internet addiction disorder, Dr. Dannon warns. The first are teenagers. But more surprisingly, the second are women and men in their mid-50s suffering from the loneliness of an “empty nest.” The symptoms of Internet addiction in both groups are vague and are often difficult to diagnose. Sufferers may experience loss of sleep, anxiety when not online, isolation from family and peer groups, loss of work, and periods of deep depression.
Article link:Tel Aviv University Redefines "Internet Addiction" and Sets New Standards for Its Treatment
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