Internet Addiction Disorder – How To Overcome it?

 Internet addiction – is a psychiatric disorder, obsessive desire to connect to the Internet and painful inability to disconnect from the Internet. Computer addiction is a widely debated issue, but its status is still at an informal level, the disorder is not included in the official classification of diseases.

Background

For the first time disorder was described in 1995 by Dr. Ivan Goldberg, despite the fact that the Goldberg’s goal was not this disorder in the official psychiatric standards. He was purposed to describe it based on the description of disorders related to substance abuse. Goldberg has identified the following main symptoms of the disorder:

• Internet use causes painful negative stress or distress;
• Internet use is detrimental to physical, psychological, interpersonal, economic or social status;

In 1994, psychiatrist Kimberly Young developed and published on the site a test-questionnaire aimed to identify Internet addiction disorder and she received about 500 responses. Most respondents were considered Internet-dependent, according to the chosen criterion. It was found that the prevalence of this disorder is similar to the prevalence of pathological gambling, ranging from 1 to 5% of Internet users.

In 1997 – 1998, there were created researchable and advisory-diagnosis services on this issue. In 1998-1999 came for the first time monographs about this issue (K. Young, D. Greenfield and others). In Russia, this phenomenon is studied by psychologists. A big interest is for the work of psychiatrist Vitalina Burovoia, who was the first of Russian doctors that began seriously to study this phenomenon.

The origin of the problem

Information for a person has a great importance. Computer and Internet are powerful tools for processing and exchanging information, in addition, thanks to a computer a lot of information became available. This is the root cause of a computer addiction, as they suffer a violation of the processes of information exchange.
The problem of computer addiction emerged with the increasing popularity of the Internet. Some people got so carried away by a virtual space that the Internet began to prefer reality, drawing on the computer 18 hours a day. The dramatic failure of the Internet makes these people anxious and emotional arousal. Many people think that Internet addiction disorder is similar to chemical addiction like smoking or drug addiction. Psychiatrists see the similarity of this dependence with excessive gambling.

Internet addiction disorder and conventional medicine

Officially, the medicine has not yet recognized Internet addiction as a mental disorder and many experts in the field of psychiatry in general doubt the existence of Internet addiction disorder, or deny the harm caused by this phenomenon.
The dependence in a medical sense is defined as a compulsive need to use familiar materials, accompanied by a marked increase in tolerance and the physiological and psychological symptoms. The growth of tolerance means a habit to all what is big and in big doses. In case of computer addiction is not “usual stuff” in the literal sense of the word doesn’t exist. Therefore, the dependence of other than using drugs or alcohol, that is the physical component is completely absent, but the psychological is seen very clearly. Thus, it is possible to define Internet addiction as a non-chemical addiction – compulsive need to use the Internet, accompanied by social maladjustment and severe psychological symptoms.

Internet-dependent

According to various studies, the Internet-addicted today are addicted for about 10% of users worldwide.Psychiatrists believe that in our country today Internet-addicted people are about 4-6%. Despite the lack of official recognition of the problems, Internet addiction has already taken into account in many countries around the world. For example, in Finland, young people with Internet addiction provide a respite from the army.

The classification of Internet addiction, its causes and symptoms

The main 5 types of Internet addiction include:

• Compulsive web surfing – unlimited travel on the World Wide Web, searching for information;
• Addiction to virtual communication and virtual dating – large volumes of correspondence, continued participation in chat rooms, web forums, social networks, the redundancy of friends and acquaintances on the web;
• Gambling – compulsive fascination with computer games on the network;
• Obsessive financial need – the game of online gambling, unnecessary purchases in shops or regular participation in online auctions;
• Sexual addiction – compulsive desire to visit pornographic sites and engage in cybersex.

The analysis shows that the predominant factor by which all these phenomenon are widespread is the anonymity of the person on the Internet.

Internet addiction and family problems

Problems in the family, usually result from lack of attention to a particular family member. Quarrels and misunderstanding addict only exacerbate the situation relationships in the family. Since the Internet addict consumes a lot of information and perhaps knowledge, such as changing the internal tensions and cause for concern. Family scandals can only damage a person’s psyche even more. The best way to solve the problems of the family’s love and understanding and wisdom of the household, is gently to remove a person in a family positive communication and most important to increase their communication with wildlife, it is possible to walk.
Ways to solve problems

Consequences of Internet Addiction

It should be noted that compared with dependencies on alcohol and drugs, computer addiction, to a lesser degree of harm to human health, not destroy his brain and seemed to be quite safe, if not apparent reduction in work capacity, the performance of a real society. As a drug interaction on the Internet can create the illusion of prosperity, the apparent opportunity to solve real problems. Although research has shown Russian psychologists that many Internet-dependent realize that will not get any real support in the network and do not regard the Internet as a medium that ensures communication.

In medicine, the known methods of withdrawal treatment (“fragile” in the common people), which develops within a few days after the failure of the drug, with the help of a transfer to a more “soft” drugs such as methadone. In this sense, for many alcoholics, drug addicts, smokers and others prone to develop strong relationships, the Internet has become more “soft” drug and a chance to get rid of more serious relationships. I know alcohol and drug addicts who reduced substance abuse and many of them refused to do it, thanks to long sessions on the web. That is, they have replaced one dependency for another. The same principle works, many methods of psychotherapeutic treatment of dependencies: replace a bad habit to a more “environmentally friendly” safe. For example, in groups of Anonymous Alcoholics and drug addicts become addicted to communication in the group.

Also, Internet addiction is more “environmentally friendly” compared to the sway of religious sects, where people are manipulated to establish power and material gain. It is known that members of these religious movements on a monthly basis have to sacrifice a certain amount of money, they gradually lose their will and go crazy. So what is a religious cult in this case, masquerade, hiding the true intentions of the leaders. In the fall of the sect also fall dependent, suggestible people.

Thus, due to its characteristics: anonymity, accessibility, invisibility, security, easy of use the Internet provides an invaluable service to people suffering from addictions, allowing them to abandon the past and at the same time can cause damage to adolescents and young adults who instead of socializing in the real world find an opportunity of socialization in the virtual world. Who knows, perhaps the existence of parallel universes – our future and we are just preparing for life in other dimensions. A solution that seems just in name
The easiest and most affordable way to solutions depending on the acquisition is other dependencies. Love for a healthy lifestyle communication with wildlife, creative applications hobbies such as painting usually derive from human addiction.