I love this concept of Pathological Over Sharing enabled by social networking sites. Check out BooleanTimes for more info

There is a strong link between heavy internet use and depression, UK psychologists have said.
The study, reported in the journal Psychopathology, found 1.2% of people surveyed were “internet addicts”, and many of these were depressed.
The Leeds University team stressed they could not say one necessarily caused the other, and that most internet users did not suffer mental health problems.

The conclusions were based on 1,319 responses to an on-line questionnaire.
Recruitment was via links on social networking sites. People were asked how much they used the internet and for what purposes.
They were also asked a series of questions to assess whether they suffered from depression.
It should not be concluded, however; that heavy internet use causes depression. It is more likely in fact that those suffering symptoms associated with depression are likely to find longer periods of access to the internet fits more comfortably with their general well being, in comparison, perhaps, to getting a job or doing the washing up.
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A psychologist is urging people to get off Facebook and other social networking sites, and get a life instead.

Dr Aric Sigman says the amount of time we spend with each other has slumped dramatically and in turn is damaging our health.

He says our devotion to such sites could alter the way genes work, upset immune responses, hormone levels, and the function of arteries, and influence mental performance.

Levels of hormones such as the “cuddle chemical” oxytocin, which promotes bonding, altered according to whether people were in close contact or not.

This could increase the risk of health problems as serious as cancer, strokes, heart disease, and dementia.

Dr Sigman spells out his warning in the latest issue of Biologist, the journal of the Institute of Biology, and maintains that social networking sites have played a significant role in people becoming more isolated.

He said: “Social networking is the internet’s biggest growth area, particular among young children.

“A quarter of British children have a laptop or computer in their room by the age of five and they have their own social networking sites, like the BBC’s myCBBC. It’s causing huge changes.”

Dr Sigman said 209 “socially regulated” genes have been identified, including ones involved in the immune system, cell proliferation and responses to stress.

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People’s health could be harmed by social networking sites because they reduce levels of face-to-face contact, an expert claims.

Dr Aric Sigman says websites such as Facebook set out to enrich social lives, but end up keeping people apart.

Dr Sigman makes his warning in Biologist, the journal of the Institute of Biology.

A lack of “real” social networking, involving personal interaction, may have biological effects, he suggests.

He also says that evidence suggests that a lack of face-to-face networking could alter the way genes work, upset immune responses, hormone levels, the function of arteries, and influence mental performance.

This, he claims, could increase the risk of health problems as serious as cancer, strokes, heart disease, and dementia.

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The reality of this disease and the scientist value of surveys on the subject are calling into question by most of psychologists, who see only here an e-hysteria. But an other discuss animate experts : is it the same kind of drug addiction or an addictive behaviour like pathologic gamer.

Do a profile of web addictive people exist ? A netaholic profile type. Before that survey allow to give an idea of this phenomenon, media has long time carried the image of lewd teenager and young wolf disciple of the new economy and creator of start-up.

But further than those clichés, reality is really different. According to M. Gautier, “people who don’t feel addictive to the internet are mainly young (15-30 years old) men (next to 75%). Their main activity is their participation to chatrooms (23% of cases), network games or consultation of sexual websites”. We are pretty far from young complex and antisocial teenager.

Many website about the Internet Addiction Disorder are proliferating. There is even cyberclinic. Among those websites proposing e-therapies, we can quote Center for on-line addiction created by Kimberley Young, or Virtual Addiction of the Doctor Greenfield, another American Expert on the subject.

Who does not know Second Life, that virtual world in network where each one can ride his character and go to meet others. Thanks to this real phenomenon everyone wants to be present in this “matrix”! But what are the motivation of its inhabitants? Are there dangers?

Virtual places are a true revolution, these are fictions where we can act by a virtual character who represent us. We can explore space, but also create objects and make services to send them. So we feel physically present. But many people come there to make sexual meet between two characters who mime sexual positions. You can also go to see an “Escort”, it’s a specialist in data processing codes who create a program for you and your desires if you pay him with some Linden Dollars (the official money in that world). Which attract people is the fact that is possible to make his own adult movie thanks to his character and with others people who have a character in this world. Thus there very few things prohibited except imposed to an other character to do something that he doesn’t want, for you just have to push the key “stand up”. There is also the attraction  for the sexual disobedience, an half of users use a character from the other sex. For men that enables for example to go in rooms reserved for lesbians, to enter girl cloakroom. But all these practice are so solitary.

In that world all is under control. You are just renting

time of server from the Linden-lab company who is the owner, and in only one click they can delete you and keep all your things made in this world. It’s a totalitarian world.

There are people who spend their night on Second Life to run away their daily life. They are especially people who don’t like really the human contact. But if you are not this kind of people, you are going to frustrate yourself quickly because of the shortcoming of human contact. Second Life could maintain a desocialization of his users in the way that in the real life we can’t go away our responsibilities and people who spend too many time in this world could disconnect themselves from the reality.

The Internet is not the enemy just because people become dependent on it. It has
many important and necessary benefits. It is fast, ecologically sound, convenient, and
informative. In many ways it makes our lives much simpler. In many ways it makes our
lives more complex. The Internet provides an escape from reality and everyday problems
just like alcohol or drugs. Some argue that the interaction with other people on the
Internet fills a social void. People can assume new identities; others interact with that
identity and the person may assume these on-line relationships are the same as the real
thing. It becomes a problem when people become so engrossed and enmeshed in on-line
activities, and their “other” lives to the point of neglecting their health, relationships, jobs,
and other responsibilities. As with many of life’s pleasures, moderation is the key.

If a person knows that he or she has difficulty with other forms of addictive behavior, they should be cautious in exploring the types of application that are used on the Internet. In addition, it is important for people to engage in social activities outside the Internet. Finally, mental health workers should investigate ways in which to participate in the implementation of new technology rather than waiting for its aftereffects.

Since Internet addiction disorder is a relatively new phenomenon, there is little research on the effectiveness of treatment procedures. Some professionals advocate abstinence from the Internet. Others argue that it may be unrealistic to have a person completely end all Internet use. As society becomes more and more dependent on computers for business transactions, educational programs, entertainment, and access to information as well as interpersonal communication, it will be difficult for a computer-literate person to avoid using the Internet. Learning how to use the Internet in moderation is often the main objective in therapy, in a way analogous to the way that people with eating disorders need to come to terms with food. Many of the procedures that have been used to treat Internet addiction have been modeled after other addiction treatment programs and support groups.

If a person’s Internet addiction disorder has a biological dimension, then such medication as an antidepressant or anti-anxiety drug may help them with these aspects of the addiction. Psychological interventions may include such approaches as changing the environment to alter associations that have been made with Internet use, or decrease the reinforcement received from excessive Internet use. Psychological interventions may also help the person identify thoughts and feelings that trigger their use of the Internet. Interpersonal interventions may include such approaches as social skills training or coaching in communication skills. Family and couple therapy may be indicated if the user is turning to the Internet to escape from problems in these areas of life.

Relapsing into an addictive behavior is common for anyone dealing with addiction disorders. Recognizing and preparing for relapse is often a part of the treatment process. Identifying situations that would trigger excessive Internet use and generating ways to deal with these situations can greatly reduce the possibility of total relapse.

One symptom of Internet addiction is excessive time devoted to Internet use. A person might have difficulty cutting down on his or her online time even when they are threatened with poor grades or loss of a job. There have been cases reported of college students failing courses because they would not take time off from Internet use to attend classes. Other symptoms of addiction may include lack of sleep, fatigue, declining grades or poor job performance, apathy, and racing thoughts. There may also be a decreased investment in social relationships and activities. A person may lie about how much time was spent online or deny that they have a problem. They may be irritable when offline, or angry toward anyone who questions their time on the Internet.