Facebook Addiction: Symptoms and Treatment

According to Penn Olson, Facebook has 400 million users. Indeed, the social networking site is a great tool for businesses to advertise, for individuals to find lost friends, for social networking, playing games, and communicating with friends and family. However, Facebook, like drugs and alcohol, can become addictive, affecting an individual's mental health and relationships.

Individuals with Facebook Addiction Disorder must meet certain criteria in order to be diagnosed as having an addiction to Facebook. Please note, though, that Facebook Addiction Disorder has not been formally recognized as a psychiatric disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association. If you have Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD), you have built up tolerance. This means that either you have to spend increasing amounts of time on Facebook to achieve the same amount of satisfaction or that you do not achieve the same level of satisfaction when you spend the same amount of time on this social networking site.

Another symptoms of FAD is that one's social and/or recreational activities are either moved to Facebook or significantly reduced. Someone who has FAD might cancel dates, stop answering phone calls from family, or cancel commitments one has made to friends. Someone with an addiction to this social networking site might also always be looking for new friends to add to one's Facebook profile. He or she might look at how many friends his or her spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, or friends have and he or she may strive to beat those numbers.

Another symptom of FAD is that you may check your profile multiple times a day; you always want to know if someone's left you a message, comment, or written on your wall. Likewise, if you have an addiction to Facebook, you will update your status several times each day.

Someone who has FAD will experience distress, anxiety, and/or obsessive thinking if he or she does not log into the social networking site at least once each day. Individuals who are addicted to Facebook may also utilize their working or studying time to get onto Facebook, prioritizing getting onto the site over work or school.

There are several things you can do to help yourself if you feel you may have a problem spending too much time on Facebook. Admitting you have a problem, as with any addiction, is an essential and important first step to receiving the help you may need. The site Addiction Info suggests keeping a log of your Facebook usage. When you see that you are spending too much time on the site, give yourself a time limit. Set a timer or an alarm if you need help remembering when you need to get off of the site.

Another suggestion is to change your password on the site to something that's unfamiliar to you, which includes numbers. Write your new password on a piece of paper and put it somewhere where it is out of reach. This makes checking the site a hassle rather than something you can do easily. Remember not to check the, "Remember me on this computer" box so that you have to enter your password every time you go to the site. Create new passwords any time you need a new, unfamiliar one to help maintain spending less time on the site.

If you have a difficult time stopping your Facebook addiction, you may seek professional help in dealing with your problem. For instance, cognitive-behavioral therapy, which is focused around changing your thoughts and behaviors, may be a viable way to deal with your Facebook addiction.

While Facebook can be a useful tool in connecting with friends and family, networking, and advertising your business, it can also cause mental health problems, such as Facebook addiction. If you feel you have FAD, please seek the help you need.

Sources:

Penn Olson: Digital Media Brand:
http://www.penn-olson.com/2009/12/02/25-interesting-facebook-statistics-and-facts/

Future Lab: Are You Suffering from Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD):
http://www.futurelab.net/blogs/marketing-strategy-innovation/2008/05/are_you_suffering_from_faceboo.html

Facebook: 7 Signs and Symptoms of Facebook Addiction:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/junkies-anonymous-i-am-an-addict/7-signs-and-symptoms-of-facebook-addiction/237568056443

USIZERO: Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) Know the Symptoms:
http://www.usizero.com/2009/10/facebook-addiction-disorder-fad-know.html

Addiction Info: Potential Facebook Addiction:
http://www.addictioninfo.org/articles/2171/1/Potential-Facebook-addiction/Page1.html