Should the U.S. Recognize Internet Addiction as a Mental Illness?

Is internet addiction real? Do you spend too much time online? Could you be addicted to the internet? These are questions that I began to wonder as my kids complained that all I do is sit on the computer. They are right, I tend to spend more time on websites than I do with them which made me decide to read up and take action.

Do a Google search for internet addiction and you will get nearly 755,000 search results. Other terms used are: Internet Addiction Disorder, compulsive internet use, web dependency, and pathological internet use. Clearly it is a problem that is being looked into. Compulsive internet use is classified as a mental illness in many countries, but in the U.S. it is not listed in the DSM-IV, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The DSM-IV, used by counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists nationwide, infers that people can basically only be addicted to substances, such as drugs and not actions.

However, there are many cases of people who overuse the net so much that they are neglecting their work obligations and families to spend time online. There have even been cases where people became violent from not being able to log on. The internet can make infidelity, gambling and pornography readily accessible from your own home.

The argument that many would make is that the computer or the internet is not the problem, it is the reasoning for the person being on so much that is the problem. For example, not being very outgoing and finding it easier to meet people online, the computer is not technically the problem here. The same principle for gambling or shopping, the internet is just the vehicle used for the addiction or the overuse. If there were no computers, these people would find another way to exercise there addiction. Therefore, can you technically be addicted to the internet itself?

It has also been noted that most people that have internet addiction also have preexisting problems such as: depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, impulse control disorders, alcohol or tobacco use. It will be interesting to see what further studies in this area shows.

There are several different types of so called internet addictions, these are: sex, chatting, general surfing, gaming and money. If you think about it, you will notice that the person who spends hours doing online shopping is not the same as the person who is instant messaging, gambling, or playing games for hours. There are so many areas of overuse and they have different effects on the user and the people around them.

The U.S. is just beginning to brace the fact that many people may have a problem on their hands. The NY Times recently ran an article about internet addiction in South Korea. In this country, there are 140 internet addiction counseling centers, treatment programs at more than 100 hospitals and they even have an Internet Rescue Camp, which is paid by the government. This camp is mainly for teens who were online so much that they began doing things like skipping school. The purpose of this camp is to show teens that real-life interaction is better than online interaction. The country plans to open up more camps because of the high demand. It will be interesting to see what the U.S. does to counteract the problem when and if they recognize it.

If you think you could have a problem, there is a short questionnaire on netaddiction.com that will give you some insight. If nothing else, it's just interesting to see how you scored. If you have a relatively high score then at least you will be aware that you are online way too much. If you are like me, that may be enough to alert you that there is life without the computer!

So if you think that being online is harmless, or you are being productive or if you just see it as something to do (like I did), ask yourself what would the impact be if you spent the amount of time you do on the internet with your children or your spouse. The answer will not be too surprising.

Sources:

http://ww.netaddiction.com/resources/iaindex.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/technology/18rehab.html

http://www.aplaceofhope.com/reports_internet.html

http://www.wikipedia.org/WIKI/Internet_addiction