Are You Addicted to the Internet?
by Lamar Stonecypher

Are you compulsive in your use of the internet? Do you devote time to your online pursuits that would better be devoted to your family or career? Do you get up in the wee hours of the morning to check your email, or your favorite website? If the answer to one or more of these questions is yes, you might be suffering from Internet Addiction Disorder.   This malady was first described by Ivan Goldberg, MD, of Columbia University. He characterized it as a "maladaptive pattern of internet use, leading to clinically significant impairment or distress." (Source: Duchon) Psychologist Kimberly S. Young likens internet addiction to pathological gambling addiction because it "involves failed impulse control without involving an intoxicant." Young studied 396 heavy internet users from a pool of volunteers who responded to an ad. Participants were selected if they reported four or more of the following: Feel preoccupied with the internet (think about it while offline) Feel a need to use the internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction; Have an inability to control your internet use; Feel restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use; Use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a poor mood (feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety or depression); Lie to family members or friends to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet; Jeopardize or risk the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet; Keep returning even after spending an excessive amount of money on on-line fees; Go through withdrawal when offline (increased depression, anxiety); Stay on-line longer than originally intended. Young's study group was composed of 239 females and 157 males. Of her findings, she reported that her study participants "exhibited significant addictive behavior patterns. We also discovered that the use of the internet can definitely disrupt one's academic, social, financial and occupational life the same way other well-documented addictions like pathological gambling, eating disorder and alcoholism can." She further reported that "the largest [group] of respondents who met this adapted criteria and were most likely to develop an addiction to the internet were middle aged females and those (both men and women) who were currently unemployed." (Source: APA)   Richard Davis, a doctoral candidate at York University has also investigated this syndrome. He writes: "Some people are simply using the Internet too much. How can we explain these people who seem to spend so much time on the web, often to the point that it interferes with normal functioning? The answer lies in the fundamental nature of the Internet." "When we mix communication with entertainment, we are left with a medium so incredibly interesting, that it captivates some people to the point of what I call 'Information masturbation.' There is so much out there on the Internet that allows us to have fun communicating with others, that we can always find a way to (metaphorically) stroke our collective intellects. In some cases, people will take this to the extreme, and lose themselves into their Internet world, to the detriment of their 'real' world offline, which invariably results in problems with daily life functioning." (Source:  Davis) Internet addiction has become a concern at college campuses across the country. Thomas DeLoughtry writes: "College officials are increasingly concerned about the growing number of students who are unable to control the amount of time they spend with their computers. These students are being called 'Internet vampires' because they emerge from computer laboratories often at dawn."   Do you think that you might be suffering from internet addiction? If so, you've got company! David Greenfield, in association with ABC news, conducted a study that found that nearly 11 million users suffer from some type of internet addiction. The most answered question on the questionnaire that he distributed was about using the internet as a form of escape from everyday problems. Thirty percent of the participants said yes. (Source: Donn)   All is not grim, however. Another study determined that time spent online instead of sleeping actually decreased, in direct proportion, the time spent engaging in sleep disorders. Isn't it amazing that somebody actually studied that? (Source: Cojac) Another encouraging study was reported by Rudolph Briggs. "The National Organization of Police Officers (NOPO) reports that violent crime has decreased by 14.2% in America since 1995, when surfing the Web became a popular pastime. This has not come without a price. The report said that "...more and more felons now stay home with their computers. But they are switching to computer crimes and causing us a headache on that front." * * * * Internet addiction disorder, as a diagnosis, is still in its infancy, and it does not appear in the DSM-IV. Ironically, there are a few online resources available to help sufferers wean themselves from the internet. Here are some: Internet Addiction Support Group (Send a message to listserv@netcom.com. Leave the subject blank, and type this into the message body: Subscribe i-a-s-g) Center for Online Addiction Online Sexual Addiction Mental Health Net: Online Addiction Sources Rudolph G. Briggs:  Psychosocial Parameters of Internet Addiction Cojac, Laudi. "Sleep Patterns in Internet Addiction Disorder." Annals of Sleep Psychology, 1996. Richard A. Davis:  Is Internet Addiction Real? Thomas DeLoughry:  "Snared by the Internet: College Officials Debate Whether Students Spend Too Much Time On Line." The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 1, 1996: 42. Jeff Donn:  Can't Resist the Online Pull Andrew Duchon:  Internet Addiction Syndrome American Psychological:  Association: Internet Can be as Addicting as Alcohol, Drugs and Gambling, Says New Research * * * * By the way, Dr. Goldberg originally intended his "diagnostic criteria" for "internet addiction disorder" as a joke for his online friends. One of the symptoms he proposed was "involuntary typing movements of the fingers." * * * * Copyright (C) 2001 T. Lamar Stonecypher About the Author Lamar Stonecypher is the publisher of Kudzu Monthly.

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