Help! I'm addicted to the Internet - are you?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 24 March 2008 17:33

Opinion and Analysis

Dr Block says that the average “South Korean high school student spends about 23 hours each week gaming”, meaning that “another 1.2 million are believed to be at risk for addiction and to require basic counselling”.

He then reports that therapists are worrying about the “increasing number of individuals dropping out from school or work to spend time on computers”.

Using figures from June 2007, Dr Block says that “South Korea has trained 1,043 counselors in the treatment of Internet addiction and enlisted over 190 hospitals and treatment centers” with “preventive measures are now being introduced into schools” to stem the tide of the problem.

As for China, it too is worried about the effects of Internet addition on its population, now the largest Internet population in the world.

Dr Block notes that “Tao Ran, Ph.D., Director of Addiction Medicine at Beijing Military Region Central Hospital”, reported during a recent conference that “13.7% of Chinese adolescent Internet users meet Internet addiction diagnostic criteria—about 10 million teenagers. As a result, in 2007 China began restricting computer game use; current laws now discourage more than 3 hours of daily game use”.

There aren’t any accurate estimates of the prevalence of the disorder, says Dr Block, but he does note that US Internet users are more likely to access “games and virtual sex” from their homes, rather than Internet cafés.

He notes that: “Attempts to measure the phenomenon are clouded by shame, denial, and minimization”, with “the issue further complicated by comorbidity”.

Comorbid means “pertaining to a disease or other pathological process that occurs simultaneously with another.”

He says that “About 86% of Internet addiction cases have some other DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) diagnosis present. In one study, the average patient had 1.5 other diagnoses. In the United States, patients generally present only for the comorbid condition(s). Thus, unless the therapist is specifically looking for Internet addiction, it is unlikely to be detected. In Asia, however, therapists are taught to screen for it.”

Dr Block then says that: “Despite the cultural differences, our case descriptions are remarkably similar to those of our Asian colleagues, and we appear to be dealing with the same issue. Unfortunately, Internet addiction is resistant to treatment, entails significant risks, and has high relapse rates. Moreover, it also makes comorbid disorders less responsive to therapy.”

If you find yourself addicted to the Internet, one resource you can visit (ironically online, although for Internet addicts it's ideal) is the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery. It's also a great resource for parents and partners wanting to know if their loved ones are Internet addicted, or not.

This site says that “The Center for Online Addiction offers hope and valuable resources to those seeking information about Internet addiction. Internet addiction is a type of compulsive disorder and as an organization, we are specifically dedicated to helping people who suffer from this new form of addictive behavior.”

Aside from information and resources to help you overcome your addition, you can also take a series of tests, which are as follows:

- Cybersexual Addiction Quiz
- Internet Addiction Test (IAI)
- Quiz for Obsessive Online Gambling
- Quiz for Compulsive Online Gamers
- Quiz for Online Auction Addiction
- The Partner's Addiction Test
- The Parent-Child Addiction Test

Our simple advice is to take everything in moderation, take time away from the computer to go outside and get some fresh air, talk to your friends in person or on the phone (instead of by email or instant messaging), read a book, watch TV, play a board game with family or friends, ensure you have proper nutrition, a good diet, plenty of water and regular exercise.

But as an Internet addict (of sorts) myself, the paragraph above is great advice for me, too, and I’ll strive to spend more time away from the Internet and my computer!