A New Mental Disorder?

[Jaden Praxx 0]

Internet addictions: A real medical menace?

 

 

Alcohol, drugs, food, sex, and even shopping are all candidates for medical treatment and are recognized as genuine mental disorders, so what about the Internet? Internet addiction -defined as "excessive gaming, sexual pre-occupations, and email/text messaging" - is becoming so common that at least one psychiatrist says it merits inclusion in psychiatry's official handbook of mental illness, the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders." Dr. Jerald Block of the Oregon Health and Science University is the latest voice pushing for this inclusion, noting that tech junkies display genuinely debilitating behavior, including drug-like cravings, withdrawal, and a constant need for more and better gear - just like a substance addict might exhibit.

 

But other doctors comment that Internet addiction, while it may be real, is too new of a condition and needs further study before being medically classified. There might be something to this: No one wants people being medicated or institutionalized if they aren't genuinely ill.

 

The "Manual of Mental Disorders" won't be published again until 2012, but an early draft will arrive for public comment in 2009. Meanwhile, mind docs say the problem is growing, now possibly affecting up to 10 percent of Internet users. Recent studies are surprising, indicating the problem is worst not among game-obsessed teens, but rather among middle-aged women who stay at home, constantly on the computer as a way of connecting to the outside world.

 

Is computer use (or computer downtime) causing a problem in your life? If so, you might be an addict. But you'll have to wait a few more years to find out for sure.

[Samantha_Kent 0]

Haha, yeah, I saw that too...was like, "Oh...guess I'm screwed then..." :lol:

[Mark Garrison 0]

Twelve hours of Halo 3 isn't addiction. It's leveling up.

[Sam_SemaJ 0]

What about "Information Dependance"...not feeling complete if you haven't checked your email or clicked "refresh" on that forum in the last half hour....fifteen minutes?? I think this claim has some merit.

 

And I like Mark's comment :lol:

[B'Etor Patterson 0]

What about "Information Dependance"...not feeling complete if you haven't checked your email or clicked "refresh" on that forum in the last half hour....fifteen minutes?? I think this claim has some merit.

 

And I like Mark's comment :lol:

 

Ok! Stop it! I have been found out! I refresh every 5 minutes, check my e-mail 15 times a day! Stop..The Light!... I'm Melting! Melting! Oh, What a World! What a World! *huddles in corner and shakes uncontrolably* Don't panic... Hehe. Don't panic...

[Sam_SemaJ 0]

Don't panic... Hehe. Don't panic...

 

 

Hehe...42

[will_marx 0]

Hehe...42

And don't forget your towel, either.

 

On a personal note, while I can't live without Internet access or instant messaging, for obvious reasons:

 

I can do without texting or cell. No one really calls me, or texts me.

[Sheela 0]

There is a world out there, other than computers and internet? oooooooo new concept ... Reality? What's that? mmmmmm ... Gonna have to google it. *scampers off to do a search for it*

[Siri Benica 0]

I guess Im mental, I cant live without going on the computer a least 14 times a day