“I now pronounce you husband and computer.”
This is a ridiculous statement, and yet according to a new study done here in Connecticut, and a number of other learned psychiatrists, internet usage has become a problem in the lives of many people.
Dr. Jerald Block, psychiatrist at the Oregon Health & Science University, says that all of the evidence points towards an addiction. "When you start using (the computer) 30 hours a week, it becomes a container for emotion," he said. "It occupies time. The computer itself becomes a significant other, becomes a relationship."
Dr. Elias Aboujaoude is the author of the book Virtually You: The Dangerous Powers of the E-Personality. His book suggests that problematic Internet use shares common features of drug and alcohol abuse disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and disorders where people have trouble controlling their pleasure-seeking impulses.
"There seems to be common pathways within the brain for addictive behaviors, of which pathological gambling is one example," he told Reuters Health. "I would say that there's sufficient data to show that pathological computer use is another example of an addictive behavior."
The Connecticut study was led by Yale University’s Dr. Timothy Liu. 3,650 students from ten different high schools were asked over 150 questions about health, risky behaviors, and impulsiveness. The questions included seven regarding their internet use. The teens were asked to report whether they had ever missed school or important social activities because they were surfing the Web, or if their families thought that they spent too much time online. The students were also asked whether they had ever had an “irresistible urge” to be online, or a growing tension or anxiety that could only be relieved by using the internet. They were also asked if they had tried to quit or cut down on their internet use.
The study showed that four percent met the criteria for problematic internet use, and it was highest among Asian and Hispanic students. More boys than girls said that they spent over 20 hours a week online, but girls were more likely to admit to it. Surveys that trust the person being questioned to tell the whole truth realize that there will always be some people who under-report in order to make themselves look better.
Liu was also trying to find a cause-and-effect relationship between problematic internet use and depression and/or drug use. Statistics have show that depression is more common among internet users, but it is not yet clear whether the usage leads to the depression or the other way around.
In any case, if internet usage (other than reading this website, of course!) has prevented a person from responsibilities, it ought to be admitted as a problem. Dr. Block stated that while it might take some time, he has "absolutely no doubt" that psychiatrists will eventually recognize problematic Internet use as its own disorder.
