Internet Addiction

It is estimated that more than 210 million Americans access the Internet on a regular basis, making the United States by far the top World Wide Web user in the world. Specialists estimate that between 6% and 14% of Internet users in the United States have a destructive dependency on the Web and that the vast majority of these people do not realize they have a problem.

Internet addiction has been formally recognized as a disorder by the American Psychological Association, although it is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). The term Internet addiction disorder (IAD) first made headlines in 1995 when psychiatrist Ivan K. Goldberg posted a parody online spoofing the DSM-IV by using the criteria for pathological gambling and calling it "Internet Addiction Disorder." At the time, spending excessive time online was not considered a disorder, disease, or addiction, but soon Goldberg realized his joke was a lot more serious than originally planned, as he started receiving hundreds of requests for consultations.

Goldberg took his spoof even further, creating an Internet addiction support group online, something critics jokingly compared to holding an Alcoholics [Page 499]Anonymous meeting at a cocktail party. Ironically, Goldberg is still one of those skeptics who refuse to recognize Internet addiction as a real addiction, calling it simply a symptom of other, existing disorders.

Many researchers agree with Goldberg. Sara Keisler, of Carnegie Mellon University, calls Internet addiction a "fad illness." Others argue that Internet addiction has as much medical merit as "telephone addiction" or "television addiction."

However, supporters of the diagnosis say that Internet addiction can have much more serious consequences than other destructive habits, because the Internet can lead obsessive users to other addictions like gambling or pornography. Just like pathological gambling, Internet addiction is considered a "pure" addiction or an impulse control disorder because it does not involve the use of intoxicating drugs.

Internet addiction typically starts with casual use of e-mail or other simple online applications, many times for work or school purposes. In a relatively short time, it progresses into an activity that results in major disruptions in life. Some mental health professionals compare Internet addiction to alcoholism or drug addiction, at least in the way it can destroy different aspects of a person's life.

As people begin to make the Internet an important part of their daily routine, they get channeled into different areas of the World Wide Web. Some of the most popular destinations for would be addicts include chat rooms, shopping sites, pornography, day trading, gambling, social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, dating sites, downloading music and other digital files, instant messaging, blogging, or even reading news and sports.

Preliminary research shows that most Internet addicts are usually struggling with other issues such as depression and anxiety. For them, the Internet offers an escape from reality, and the fact that it is easily accessible, affordable, and anonymous makes them more susceptible to becoming addicted.

Kimberly S. Young, founder of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery, developed one of the most efficient instruments for diagnosing Internet addiction, the Internet Addiction Test. This test is a 20-item questionnaire that measures mild, moderate, and severe levels of Internet addiction by quizzing the participants on things like the amount of time they spend online, the feelings and mood swings that people experience when they are on- or off-line, how personal and professional relationships have been affected by the person's Internet usage, and the importance that the Internet has on a person's life overall.

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