Internet Addiction Disorder can affect anybody. Here’s how to recognise signs and take effective action

Internet Addiction Disorder, compared to other disorders, is a relatively new phenomenon that has arisen from the fact that the web is now an inextricable part of most of our lives, at least within a certain age group. It’s completely true that the World Wide Web gives us the means to find out information easily, increase our knowledge and even meet people in real life. In essence, the web has played an important part in improving our quality of life.

However, there is a flip side, as going online has become an unhealthy obsession for some. Additionally, people might turn to the virtual world as a form of escapism or to deal with negative emotions. While some can dismiss the idea of an internet addiction, the American Psychiatric Association defines it in this manner, “A clinically significant behavioural or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that is associated with present distress or disability or with a significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability or an important loss of freedom.”

UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUE

A study conducted by the Department of Psychiatry at the Carver College of Medicine, Iowa, has found that, “The disorder occurs worldwide, but mainly in countries where computer access and technology are widespread. Clinical samples and a majority of relevant surveys report a male preponderance. Onset is reported to occur in the late 20s or early 30s age group, and there is often a lag of a decade or more from initial to problematic computer usage. Internet addiction has been associated with dimensionally measured depression and indicators of social isolation.”

THE DEMOGRAPHIC MOST AT RISK?

Though Internet Addiction Disorder is new in the field of psychiatry, there is an increasing amount of information on it. The Indian Journal of Psychiatry defines a cumulative internet use “of more than 38 hours per week”. It goes on to add that “computer professionals, businessmen, online lecturers, professionals, students using E –learning, and even those in the academic fields, use the internet at least 40 hours each week increasing the risk of these being classified as internet addicts.”

However, the next time you log on for a video chat session with a friend overseas or to watch a movie online, you needn’t wonder whether you’re the latest victim. Feature –rich smartphones, interactive websites, video chat, and online gaming, the internet has begun to penetrate every aspect of our lives. However, if you do spend a considerable amount of time in front of a computer when you don’t have to or stay up till the wee hours day after day to play videogames, you should give this a thought.

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (pain and numbness in hands and wrists) Dry eyes or strained vision Backaches and neck aches; severe headaches Sleep disturbances Pronounced weight gain or weight loss

BREAKING THE CYCLE

Every time you log on to different sites, set yourself a time and a checklist of what you want to do online. After that, make it a point to log off when the time runs out. Do this every time you are online, and try to reduce the amount of time you are online gradually.

How about finding some good books and magazines to read? It might decrease your temptation to go online.

If you need to research a subject, do it as quickly as possible without letting your focus waver on what task you have at hand.

If there are pages which you look at constantly for information (like Wikipedia), try to copy all the text and save it offline. This will shave off time you spend aimlessly surfing pages.

As far as your devices go, turn off unimportant e –mail notifications, subscriptions or anything else that may shift your focus to the virtual world.

As far as your health goes, a lot of people lose sleep while on the internet and mess up their body clock. Setting aside time for surfing, can help get more discipline into your life.

CATEGORIES

The most common of these internet addictions are cybersex, online gambling and cyber –relationship addiction

CYBERSEX ADDICTION – Compulsive use of internet pornography, adult chat rooms or adult fantasy role –play sites impacting negatively on real –life intimate relationships.

CYBER –RELATIONSHIP ADDICTION – Addiction to social networking, chat rooms, and messaging to the point where virtual, online friends become more important than real –life relationships with family and friends.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD – Compulsive web surfing or database searching, leading to lower work productivity and less social interaction with family and friend

COMPUTER ADDICTION – Obsessive playing of offline computer games, such as Solitaire or Minesweeper, or obsessive computer programming.