Internet Addiction

Internet addiction, like the internet itself, is rapidly developing into a major life force.  As with gambling and several other addictions, internet addiction is thought to be an impulse control disorder that causes personal and interpersonal problems.

Internet addiction is so new that the fields of psychology and psychiatry have not yet established that there is a disorder of Internet addiction that is separable from other problems.  However, many professionals recognize that Internet abuse is a problem that affects many people and that abuse of the internet can and does disrupt one's life the same way other well-documented addictions like gambling, sex or pornography addiction, eating disorder, and alcoholism can. 

A study by David Greenfield (published in the apa.org/monitor) found that nearly 11 million users suffer from some type of internet addiction. Approximately 33% said they use the Internet as a form of escape or to alter their mood on a regular basis. Study participants were particularly hooked on chat rooms, pornography sites, online shopping and e-mail. Of those who met Greenfield's criteria for Internet addiction, 62% said they regularly logged on to pornography sites.

Typically, an internet addiction is characterized by some of the following:

*Preoccupation with the internet
*Devoting significant time to your online activities that would better be devoted to your family or career 
*Lacking the ability to control your internet use
*Feeling restless or irritable when attempting to control Internet use and experiencing withdrawal when not online
*Using the Internet to escape from problems or from depression, helplessness, guilt, or anxiety.
*Engaging in dishonesty to hide the extent of internet use
*Risking the loss of a relationship, job, educational opportunity or other possibility because of the Internet
*Frequently remaining online longer than originally intended

At this point in our knowledge of internet addiction it is often difficult to determine whether a person who believes they have a Internet addiction is truly an internet addict, is suffering from an addiction to pornography or sex, or is just avoiding dealing with other problems in their life.  However, whatever it may ultimately be called, overuse and misuse of the Internet is a problem for many people.  But remember, it is not the technology itself that is the problem but it is the user and their behavior that is problematic.

Since internet addiction is so new, no specialized treatment has been shown to be especially effective.  In general, therapeutic approaches such as traditional psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, reality therapy, and behavioral therapy are typically utilized.

For more information about internet addiction, please click on the linked websites listed below.

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