Internet Addiction Found to be Growing Problem
Lisa M. Krieger / San Jose Mercury News (MCT)
Issue date: 10/23/06 Section: News
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When he goes on vacation, he said, the laptop and the Treo go with him. "So things don't build up." Three other nearby tables also hosted laptop users.
For his survey, which was published in the October issue of CNS Spectrums: The International Journal of Neuropsychiatric Medicine, Aboujaoude sought to measure the problem in the general population, outside hyper-wired Stanford and surrounding Silicon Valley.
To his surprise, "the survey suggests that it's not an isolated problem-it is relatively widespread, and deserves more attention."
Pornography and gambling sites are just one part of the problem, he said. Other sites-chat rooms, shopping venues and special-interest websites-are also habit-forming.
Psychologist and computer engineer Kenneth Woog of San Clemente, California, welcomed the study, saying too little research has been done on the problem.
Woog, who specializes in treating teenagers, is most worried about massive multiplayer online games. One such game, EverQuest, is referred to by many players as "Evercrack," because of its addictive nature, he said.
Some games "are deliberately designed to be addicting," Woog said. "They're very compelling. You do something and get a reward. With enough rewards, you start to feel good about yourself. And you're part of a team of people on a common quest." Because games operate on a "subscription" model of sales, the most addicting games are the most lucrative for companies, he said.
Other therapists say they also increasingly see youths with unhealthy gaming habits, who neglect schoolwork and sports for online games.
It is not known whether so-called internet addiction is a clinical disorder, Aboujaoude said. More research is needed to identify whether internet overuse is a distinct condition or an expression of another psychopathology, such as depression, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder, he said.
The best label, for now, is "impulse control disorder," Aboujaoude said. More research will better define the problem, he said.
"The internet can be both helpful and isolating," Aboujaoude said. "It becomes a problem when it isolates, substituting for a real social life."
For his survey, which was published in the October issue of CNS Spectrums: The International Journal of Neuropsychiatric Medicine, Aboujaoude sought to measure the problem in the general population, outside hyper-wired Stanford and surrounding Silicon Valley.
To his surprise, "the survey suggests that it's not an isolated problem-it is relatively widespread, and deserves more attention."
Pornography and gambling sites are just one part of the problem, he said. Other sites-chat rooms, shopping venues and special-interest websites-are also habit-forming.
Psychologist and computer engineer Kenneth Woog of San Clemente, California, welcomed the study, saying too little research has been done on the problem.
Woog, who specializes in treating teenagers, is most worried about massive multiplayer online games. One such game, EverQuest, is referred to by many players as "Evercrack," because of its addictive nature, he said.
Some games "are deliberately designed to be addicting," Woog said. "They're very compelling. You do something and get a reward. With enough rewards, you start to feel good about yourself. And you're part of a team of people on a common quest." Because games operate on a "subscription" model of sales, the most addicting games are the most lucrative for companies, he said.
Other therapists say they also increasingly see youths with unhealthy gaming habits, who neglect schoolwork and sports for online games.
It is not known whether so-called internet addiction is a clinical disorder, Aboujaoude said. More research is needed to identify whether internet overuse is a distinct condition or an expression of another psychopathology, such as depression, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder, he said.
The best label, for now, is "impulse control disorder," Aboujaoude said. More research will better define the problem, he said.
"The internet can be both helpful and isolating," Aboujaoude said. "It becomes a problem when it isolates, substituting for a real social life."
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