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Computer Addiction Disorder: Does It Exist?
By Dina Rashed
In the 21st century, the computer, rather than the television, will probably be the uninvited member of the family. More people are spending more and more time on-line, and less and less time with their family or friends.
Although a great number are using the Internet's chat rooms as a social function, still they would rather socialize over the Internet with strangers than interact in person with people that they know.
We are increasingly depending on the Internet to not only get our work done, but for entertainment, fun and even to sustain ourselves. On-line grocery chains are receiving more orders for grocery deliveries.
Why Do We Rely So Heavily on the Internet?
One of the primary reasons is to save time. It is often easier and faster to convey messages over the e-mail rather than by the phone. Also, we can communicate by e-mail at any time - day or night - regardless of the availability of the person we are communicating with. Using e-mail also allows us to avoid unnecessary conversations, particularly when we only wish to deliver a brief message.
When it comes to making purchases on-line or using other Internet services, we can do this 24-7-365 - unlike utilizing stores, post offices or libraries.
Another reason we rely on the Internet is that it allows us to easily search for sources for information, products or services that otherwise we might not find or it would greatly consume our time and energy trying to find them. Using a search engine, we can simply type in some words, and immediately we have an ocean of websites related to the topic of search.
Socializing is another important use of Internet technology. Chat rooms are convenient - we can join others to talk about topics of mutual interest at any time that we wish, and if we become bored with a particular circle, we can simply click off or go to another chat room.
Some people find on-line support groups - particularly when it comes to coping with illnesses or psychological and emotional problems - and they are easily able to bridge the barriers of time and distance. The Internet helps to minimize their isolation when they are attempting to handle grievances or distress.
Another benefit is that the Internet, for the greater part, ensures confidentiality. Users can obtain information without others knowing on topics that they might be embarrassed to ask someone about.
However, all of this convenience is taking a toll on our much-needed day-to-day interaction with other humans; computer monitors can't give us hugs or laugh at our jokes. And some psychologists worry that the Internet's widening popularity is leading to further isolation among a population of people that, although they are gravitating toward virtual communities in cyber-space, seems to have lost a genuine sense of belonging and connection.
In a study by psychologist Robert Kraut of Carnegie Mellon University and his co-researchers at the Computer-Human Interaction Institute, 169 individuals from 93 diverse households in Pittsburgh were observed during their first two years on-line. Each participant's Internet use was recorded using custom-designed logging programs. And using self-report measures, they assessed each participant's level of social involvement and psychological well-being before they initially went on-line, and again a year or two later.
Researchers found a direct correlation between participants' level of Internet use and their reports of social activity and happiness. As their use of the Internet increased, the participants reported a decrease in the amount of social support they felt and in the number of social activities they were involved in. They also reported being more depressed and lonely.
Why Does the Disorder Exist?
More and more people are noticing a negative change in the ability of family members and co-workers to function effectively within the family and at work as their usage of the computer and Internet have increased. For example, a mother reports having difficulty getting her child to do chores because computer games are occupying all of their after-school time.
Spouses are finding that their partners are increasingly neglecting family duties and are irritable at family gatherings, while their phone bill has risen astronomically because of calls to an on-line service number.
A user connects to the Internet at 9:00 pm, and suddenly discovers it is dawn and he has not left the computer.
A student's grades are falling, and the teacher notes that he/she is falling asleep in class.
An employee starts to fall behind at work while an increasing number of sick days raises questions about their usefulness to their employer.
A corporate department head stays late each night to meet deadlines, and an in-house monitoring of his computer use reveals he frequently accesses inappropriate sites, including gambling and pornography.
An office supervisor suddenly resigns from her job. She leaves a lot of unfinished work, prompting the company to ask her family to encourage her to return. The family finds her at home, hunched over a computer and completely oblivious to her surroundings.
Dr. Ivan Goldberg, a New York-based psychiatrist, does not believe that there is such a disorder as computer addiction. Nevertheless, he created a "Symptoms of Internet Addiction" web site in an attempt to poke fun at the guidelines the DSM-IV psychiatric diagnosis manual uses to identify certain disorders, and he posted fictitious symptoms on the site. Expecting a few laughs from colleagues over his bogus diagnosis, he instead received streams of e-mails from concerned people, claiming to have the disorder.
The Debate Among the Experts
For the past five years, psychologists and psychiatrists have debated on whether or not there is such a thing as an Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD).
In a recent study released on October 12th by Dr. Kimberly Young, the executive director of the Center for On-Line Addiction, the behavior of 496 heavy Internet users was compared against the clinical criteria used to classify gambling. Gambling is considered to be the closest addiction to on-line addiction because it involves failed impulse control without the use of an intoxicant.
Young found that people who have "Internet Addiction" met four or more of the established criteria, and that college students are particularly at risk.
However, many other experts do not agree with Young's research. Dr. Goldberg, one of her most vehement critics, says that her definition of the disorder does not address some of the underlying factors that might cause someone to use the Internet often and compulsively. He also says that "Internet Addiction" is not a disorder, but rather a possible sign of other problems such as depression or over-anxiety. He believes that labeling a symptom hides its origins.
Joseph Walther, a professor of computer-mediated communication at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., says, "If the Internet was addictive like drugs, everyone who used it a great deal would become addicted, and that's just not the case…
"Communication is not a substance, or a nonsocial activity like gambling, and defining it as an addiction may be irresponsible," he continues. "The IAD statistics have not been shown to predict any kind of dysfunction. Researchers draw questionnaire items from substance or gambling addiction, maladies that have nothing to do with communication or gathering information. They are confusing symptoms with syndromes," he says.
What Are the Symptoms?
Maressa Hecht Orzack, a psychologist at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and founder/director of the Computer Addiction Services department at McLean Hospital, a Harvard-affiliated teaching hospital in Belmont, Mass., is one of the strong supporters for the existence of the new disorder. She says that people suffering from the disorder do have psychological symptoms such as:
Having a sense of well-being or euphoria while at the computer;
Inability to stop the activity;
Craving more and more time at the computer;
Neglect of family and friends;
Feeling empty, depressed, and irritable when not at the computer;
Lying to employers and family about activities;
Experiencing problems with school or job.
She adds that related physical symptoms are:
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Dry eyes
Migraine headaches
Back aches
Eating irregularities, such as skipping meals
Failure to attend to personal hygiene
Sleep disturbances, change in sleep pattern
At many colleges and universities, counselors and deans of students report an association between increases in inappropriate and excessive computer use and rule infractions, student failures and academic drop-outs. More students are getting a mid-term warning because they are failing to keep up with their course work. Instead, they spend every evening on the Internet communicating with family members and former high school classmates, rarely joining social activities on campus. Some universities are taking steps towards better identifying the problem within their student bodies.
Several schools, including the University of Oregon and the University of Maryland (UM), are offering support groups for compulsive users. UM calls its support group "Caught in the Net."
"We're also starting to ask people in assessment how much time they spend eating, sleeping and on the Internet," said Rhoda Trietsch, associate director of the counseling center at UM.
The Right Balance
Many psychologists say that behavioral research should identify and recommend ways to find and maintain a healthy balance between time spent on-line and time spent interacting in person with family and friends. It is recommended that the time spent on the net be regulated so that it does not consume time designated for reading or for family duties and gatherings. For safety reasons, it is also recommended that people engaged in chat rooms do not disclose personal and contact information about themselves or their families, and that adults supervise their children's involvement in on-line activities.
Related links
http://www.computeraddiction.com
http://www.netaddiction.com
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