You might be an addict and still don't know about it.
Nowadays almost every household has access to the Internet. Everyone of us finds a different application but no matter if we use it to educate ourselves or simply to catch up with the latest funny cat compilations, there is a growing tendency which shows people spend more and more time online.
According to a research done by Pew Research Center 73 % of American citizens use the Web at least once a day. 21 % of them are online almost the entire day (Perrin, Pew Research, 2015). The average searches per day in Google have risen from 9.800 in 1998 up to 7.760,000,000 in 2015 (Statistic Brain, 2016).
What is Internet addiction?
KEEP IN MIND: This kind of behaviour develops on biochemical and psychological level.
Signs of Internet addiction cannot be found by a single interview. Despite the above mentioned growing tendency, often the ones addicted to the Web do not complain of the symptoms. Diagnosing Internet Addiction is often a hard task.
Unlike other substances like drugs and alcohol etc. Internet offers real benefits. It is product of our technological advancement and its rarely considered as a harmful phenomenon.
Officially, this type of addiction is not included in DSM-V. Nevertheless, researchers are still able to mark some main features regarding this type of behaviour. In 1995 Dr. Kimberley Young identifies Internet Addiction as separate psychological disorder, based on her research with Internet users. (Young, 1995)
At first, some of the people addicted to the Internet could experience signs of depression, bipolar disorder, or obsessive-compulsive tendencies, which could on a later stage be classified by a professional as symptoms related to Internet addiction.
Dr. Kimberley Young and her colleagues classify the different ways in which the Internet Addiction could have a negative impact on the lives of the ones suffering from it. Some of their early studies show that moderate to compulsive Internet usage leads to:
– social isolation and depression;
– relationship problems;
– failures in school / university;
– productivity problems.
What are the symptoms?
• You spent too much time online. You lose track of time.
• You keep failing to control or stop being online for a long time.
• You feel anxious, depressed or frustrated when you try to limit your time online.
• You are spending more time online than intended.
• You have jeopardized or risked to lose relationships which matter to you, just because you stayed online too much.
• You lie to your family and friends about the time you spend online.
• You use Internet as a way to escape your problems, or to calm yourself form feelings like anxiety, guilt, depression etc.
What are the effects ?
As any other similar condition, Internet addiction makes a negative impact on different aspects of your life. Maybe the thing which suffers the most are the relationships with other people.
People who are addicted to the Internet rarely communicate with others face to face. This makes them look and feel awkward in a real social environment. They also tend to hide the real time they spend on the Internet, which questions their honesty and brings problems in the trust between people. They often create fake profiles, which are used by the addicts to fantasize being another person. In most cases such people have low self-esteem and fear of rejection.
Many of the suffering, who struggle with the malicious habits related to spending too much time on the web, are suffering from symptoms similar to a classic abstinence – anger, depression, anxiety, frustration, loneliness, procrastination etc.
What is the treatment?
Unlike treating other types of addictions, a full restriction is not advised when regarding Internet addiction. The aim should be to limit the use of Internet step by step and to keep it to a reasonable point.
• Instead trying to cut down entirely your use of Internet, try to reduce it
• Keep track of time when you are online. Ask yourselves if it’s the best thing you could do right now?
• Spend more time with your family and friends. Go outside more.
• Find a hobby that makes you happy and it’s not related with the Internet.
If you cant manage alone, or the things you do don’t help you, you could always seek help from your family or even from a specialist.
Just for fun, you could try Dr. Kimberley Young’s test here:
Click
Pictures: Pixabay
Literature:
- Pies, R. (2009). Should DSM-V Designate “Internet Addiction” a Mental Disorder?Psychiatry (Edgmont), 6(2), 31–37.
- Sternberg, R., (2012) Cognitive Psychology
- http://www.pewresearch.org
- https://www.statisticbrain.com
- Young, K., (2009) Internet Addiction: The Emergence of a New Clinical Disorder CyberPsychology & Behavior. January 2009, 1(3): 237-244