Join the mailing list

Click here to read our privacy policy

 

Subscribe to emel's RSS Feed Subscribe to emel's RSS Feed

 

Internet Addiction

Internet Addiction

Issue 61 October 2009

< Return to Main Article

 

We’ve looked at how the use of computers can affect our health physically, but is there a possibility that it could also be affecting us mentally? Excessive gaming, emailing, texting, surfing and instant messaging have been identified as causes of obsessive-compulsive disorders. Excessive use is often associated with a loss of sense of time or a neglect of basic drives.

There are three different types of internet addiction: the first is Cyber Relational Addiction – addiction to chat rooms, instant messaging and social network sites can lead to online friends becoming more important to an individual often at the expense of real life relationships with family or friends. This could lead to broken relationships and family instability. The second is Net Compulsion: addiction to online gambling, gaming and sites like e-bay. Addicts can become so absorbed that they begin to lose excessive amounts of money and this could affect job responsibilities and relationships. Third is an overload of information: with the various search engine sites and the wealth of information available on the internet, the World Wide Web is creating a type of compulsive disorder. Excessive searching and surfing could steer them away from real life duties consequently leading to reduced work productivity and obsessive, compulsive tendencies. 

 

Are you an Internet Junkie?
  •     Do you feel restless, moody or angry when you try to limit your internet use?

  •     Do you stay online longer than you intended?

  •     Have you made repeated efforts to cut down on internet use?

  •     Do you feel preoccupied with the internet?

  •     Do you use the internet as a use of escaping personal problems (anxiety, mood swings, depression)?

  •     Do you feel the need to use the internet for longer periods of time to achieve satisfaction?

  •     Have you jeopardised or risked the loss of your job, career opportunity, education or significant relationship because of the internet?

  •     Have you lied to people close to you to conceal your addiction to the internet?

If you have found that your answer is yes to the questions above, then you should contact a therapist or join a support group as there is help available.

 

Shutdown on Strain

Pain in the Back




Bookmark this

digg
Add to DIGG
delicious
Add to del.icio.us
StumbleUpon
Stumble this
facebook
Share on Facebook

Share this

email
Send to a Friend
Link to this

Printer Friendly

print
Print in plain text

Comments

0 Comments

 

Leave a comment

 

Sign in or Register to leave a comment