Diagnostic criteria for internet addiction/web psychosis
- Do you feel preoccupied with the internet?
- Do you feel the need to use the internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction?
- Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop internet use?
- Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop internet use?
- Do you stay online longer than intended?
- Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the internet?
- Have you lied to family members, a therapist or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the internet?
- Do you use the internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a distressed mood (eg feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety and depression)?
Participants answering yes to questions 1 to 5 and at least one more answer were classed as suffering from Internet Addiction Disorder
Tweet this : Patholigical Over Sharing
I love this concept of Pathological Over Sharing enabled by social networking sites.
Are you a “cyberjunkie”
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.
Second life addiction.
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.
Internet Addiction Conclusion
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.
Internet Addiction Prevention
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.
Can “Internet Addiction” be treated
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.
Internet addiction Sympotms
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.
Internet Addiction Causes
No one knows what causes a person to be addicted to the Internet, but there are several factors that have been proposed as contributing to Internet addiction. One theory concerns the mood-altering potential of behaviors related to process addictions. Just as a person addicted to shopping may feel a "rush" or pleasurable change in mood from the series of actions related to a spending spree— checking one's credit cards, driving to the mall, going into one's favorite store, etc.— the person with an Internet addiction may feel a similar "rush" from booting up their computer and going to their favorite web sites. In other words, some researchers think that there are chemical changes that occur in the body when someone is engaging in an addictive behavior. Furthermore, from a biological standpoint, there may be a combination of genes that make a person more susceptible to addictive behaviors, just as researchers have located genes that affect a person's susceptibility to alcohol.
In addition to having features of a process addiction, Internet use might be reinforced by pleasurable thoughts and feelings that occur while the person is using the Internet. Although researchers in the field of addiction studies question the concept of an "addictive personality" as such, it is possible that someone who has one addiction may be prone to become addicted to other substances or activities, including Internet use. People with such other mental disorders or symptoms as depression, feelings of isolation, stress, or anxiety, may "self-medicate" by using the Internet in the same way that some people use alcohol or drugs of abuse to self-medicate the symptoms of their mental disorder.
From a social or interpersonal standpoint, there may be familial factors prompting use of the Internet.
For example, a person might "surf the Web" to escape family conflict. Another possibility is that social or peer dynamics might prompt excessive Internet use. Some affected persons may lack the social skills that would enable them to meet people in person rather than online. Peer behavior might also encourage Internet use if one's friends are using it. Modeling may play a role—users can witness and experience how others engage in Internet use and then replicate that behavior. The interactive aspects of the Internet, such as chat rooms, e-mail, and interactive games like Multi-User Dungeons and Dragons (MUDS), seem to be more likely to lead to Internet addiction than purely solitary web surfing.
One question that has not yet been answered concerning Internet addiction is whether it is a distinctive type of addiction or simply an instance of a new technology being used to support other addictions. For example, there are gambling casinos on the Internet that could reinforce a person's pre-existing gambling addiction. Similarly, someone addicted to shopping could transfer their addiction from the local mall to online stores. Persons addicted to certain forms of sexual behavior can visit pornography sites on the Internet or use chat rooms as a way to meet others who might be willing to participate in those forms of behavior. Researchers may need to determine whether there is such a disorder as "pure" Internet addiction.
What is an Internet Addiction?
Compulsive Internet Use, Computer Addiction, Internet Dependence, Problematic Internet Use, Internet Addiction and Internet Addiction Disorder - all of these are essentially terms that have been applied to those that spend excessive amounts of time online at the expense of and to the detriment of other aspects of their lives. The obsessive behaviour takes the form of particular activities, and might include any or all of the following:
• Relationships: spending excessive amounts of time starting and maintaining online friendships in chat rooms, which replace real-life friends and family.
• Money: compulsively gambling online, trading online, and partaking in online auctions.
• Information searching: compulsive web surfing or database searches.
• Gaming: obsessive computer game playing, including multi-user games.
• Sex: addiction to adult chatrooms, cyber sex or pornography on the Internet.
There has been an increasing amount of attention given to this phenomenon, and attempts to quantify the problem have produced some staggering statistics: for example, figures suggesting that as many as 6-10% of the 189 million US Internet users have a dependency on the Internet, and there are as many as 1 million German Internet addicts. There have also been cases recorded of addiction to texting on mobile phones.
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Categories
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