Newsletters for Mental Health
Christine Dietz, Counseling Intern MSOE Counseling Services
January 2008
1 in 8 Americans are addicted to the internet. Are you one of them?
- Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet (spend time thinking about previous online activity or anticipate your next online session)?
- Do you feel the need to use the Internet for increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction?
- Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use?
- Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use?
- Do you stay online longer than originally intended?
- Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet? (Including missing exams, classes, labs, or assignments because of time spent online?)
- Have you lied to family members, friends, professors, a therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet?
- Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a bad mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, stress, guilt, anxiety, depression)?
If you answered yes to 3 or more of these questions you may be struggling with an internet-use problem!
What is Internet Addiction?
Internet addiction is an impulse-control problem that occurs when individuals have difficulty controlling the amount of time they spend engaging in non-essential internet use. Researchers have identified 5 types of internet addiction.
- Cybersexual Addiction - Individuals who suffer from Cybersex/Internet pornography addiction are typically engaged in viewing, downloading, and trading online pornography or involved in adult fantasy role-play chat rooms.
- Cyber-Relational Addiction - Individuals who suffer from an addiction to chat rooms, IM, or social networking sites become overly involved in online relationships or may engage in virtual adultery. Online friends quickly become more important to the individual often at the expense of real life relationships with family and friends.
- Net Compulsions - Addictions to online gaming, online gambling, and eBay are fast becoming serious mental health problems. With the instant access to virtual casinos, interactive games, and eBay, addicts loose excessive amounts of time and/or money and fail to attend to other responsibilities such as school, work, and personal relationships.
- Information Overload - The wealth of data available on the World Wide Web has created a new type of compulsive behavior regarding excessive web surfing and database searches. Individuals will spend greater amounts of time searching and collecting data from the web and organizing information. Obsessive compulsive tendencies and reduced work productivity are typically associated with this behavior.
- Computer Addiction - Since the 1980s, when computer games such as Solitaire and Minesweeper began to be programmed into computers, researchers have found that obsessive computer game playing became problematic in organizational settings as employees spent most days playing rather than working. These games are not interactive nor played online.
The Dangers of Internet Addiction:
Individuals who suffer from internet addiction may face various problems depending upon the extent of their internet use. According to a study conducted at the Stanford University School of Medicine, 5.9% of participants stated that internet use had a negative effect on their personal relationships and 8.2% said that the internet was used as a means of escape from the real world. Individuals with internet addiction frequently fail to attend to important responsibilities related to educational or career pursuits. Often interpersonal relationships suffer or are lost all together because the addicted individual focuses all of his or her attention on building relationships online or simply does not have the time to put into real world relationships. Internet relationships can also take the place of real world relationships so that individuals choose not to pursue relationships in their real lives at all. Some individuals become so involved in internet activity that they totally neglect their self-care and people have even died after failing to eat, drink, or sleep enough because of the time they spend online. Because individuals may use the internet as a way to escape the problems or stresses of real life, they may retreat more and more into the comfort of cyberspace when they begin to notice the negative effects their internet use is having and the problem only becomes magnified.
What to do:
As internet addiction becomes a more widely recognized problem more and more resources are becoming available to help those struggling with internet use. Following the example of successful recovery groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, groups such as Online-Gamers Anonymous (OLGA) have formed to provide support for those addicted to online gaming. OLGA follows the same 12 step program as Alcoholics Anonymous in order to help those addicted to online gaming gain control over their behavior. Websites like www.wowdetox.com have also sprung up to help individuals with online gaming addiction. Finally, the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery offers a wide range of resources and information for those trying to overcome internet use problems. Here on campus, Counseling Services is available to offer information or support to anyone trying to cut-back or stop excessive internet use or any concerns relating to internet activity.
For More Information:
Online Gaming Addiction: www.wowdetox.com
Psych Central Article and Resources: http://psychcentral.com/netaddiction
References
Aboujaoude, E., Koran, L.M., Gamel, N., Large, M., & Serpe, R.T. (2006). Potential markers for problematic internet use: A telephone survey of 2513 adults. CNS Spectrums, 10, 750-755.
MSOE Counseling Services creates monthly newsletters on mental health concerns and psychological issues. You can view the complete list of Counseling Services Newsletters.
MSOE Counseling Services is located on the second floor of the Kern Center (K-230). To schedule an appointment with a counselor, call (414) 277-7590 or visit the Counseling Services homepage.