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Is Internet Addiction a Medical Condition?
PreacherTom writes "Arising from such cases as a recent lawsuit with IBM over employee termination due to online sex chatting at work, recent debate over whether Internet abuse is a legitimate addiction, akin to alcoholism, is heating up. From the article: 'Attorneys say recognition by a court — whether in this or some future litigation — that Internet abuse is an uncontrollable addiction, and not just a bad habit, could redefine the condition as a psychological impairment worthy of protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act.' The condition could even make it into the next edition of the American Psychiatric Association's DSM, making it a full-blown neurosis. It wouldn't be a huge surprise, with a recent Stanford study showing that 14% of people state it would be 'hard to stay away from the Net for even a few days in a row."
Are you joking? A "full-blown neurosis?" That's ridiculous. Nobody is going to get fixated on the internet.
I would expand on my argument but I'm at work and I have to get a lot of stuff done. I'm chatting with s3xygurl15, buying Xmas presents on Amazon and selling my old Xbox on eBay. I also need to email my mom to see if she can bring me some ramen noodles or mac-n-cheese, since I won't have time to eat later 'cause I'm needed on a WoW raid in an hour.
-Eric
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
... as much as wearing clothes.
No. It's just that it's a positive thing and when you remove it, you are left with negative feelings. So it may seem like an addiction but it's actually more like oxygen.
When I can't get online, I am being deprived of stimulus that makes me feel efficient. When I have to thumb through hard paper manuals to get info, it makes me feel sad, aggrivated and annoyed.
I stop looking and wait for it to come back online. I do something else.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
Let's just save some time and determine every form of antisocial behavior to be a disease. That way when we fuck up, we don't have to blame it on our character flaws.
It's the disease, ya know. I can't help it.
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
And if it wasn't for the addiction, I wouldn't be reading this now to know that.
Now, if it became an ADA issue, how would an employer compensate? By putting them in front of an IBM Selectric instead of an ThinkPad?
Let's face it, people get addicted off of all sorts of things: alcohol, drugs, skydiving, mountain climbing, etc. Why should Internet use be any different? Especially if you find it useful to discover information about or talk to people with interests in something you yourself enjoy. And look at MMPORGs -- are you saying WoW doesn't suck large numbers of people in?
But there's being addicted, and then there's it being a "disease." Frankly, I think B. F. Skinner would scoff at the notion. To him, everything was stimulus -> response -> reinforcement, and the more reinforcing an activity was, the more an organism would engage in it. It's not a "disease" as such, but something hard-wired into out neural make-up, and the Internet has the potential to tap into that just like anything else.
GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
on this. I quote myself:
The official diagnosis systems ICD and DSM currently have identical criteria for addiction to alcohol, illegal drugs and tobacco. Addiction to gambling, sex, internet etc are not mentioned, but psychologists who care about these addictions obviously use equivalient definitions.
The diagnosis systems mention 6-7 possible symptoms which can be classified into three groups:
- increased tolerance and/or abstinence problems
- signs of loss of control (strong craving/ compulsiveness or drinking more than planned or failed to cut down on use)
- damaging effects (social, health or work-related)
Currently no "symptoms" are mandatory. The addiction diagnosis demands that one has at least 3 of 6 symptoms through the previous year (ICD-10) or 4 of 7 at one point in life (DSM-IV). One does not need to have symptoms from all three groups, for instance is lack of control not a prerequsite.
Compared to regular medical diagnoses, it's remarkable that the important boundary between healthy and ill is set at an arbitrarily chosen number of symptoms (3 out of 6 or 4 out of 7)
xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
... so is masturbation. Seriously, though, come'on!
I experienced internet withdrawals back in 2002 when my DSL was taken away from me. The first month was hell. After three months i had totally forgotten i ever had the internet. The addiction is real as is an addiction to anything. The reason it's being considered a medical condition is because of the popularity of the addiction. I can honestly say i haven't had my own broadband connection until a month ago and now i feel i dont know how to surf the web, but atleast i dont waste time in front of a computer as much.
You constantly struggle for self improvement - and it shows.
Hooray for bad Engrish on fortune cookies
This article further supports my theory that the field of psychology is bunch of bull-shit. Neurology is a science. Psychology is a bunch of philosophers conjuring up imaginary diseases to reinforce everyone's imaginary "problems" I'm writing this Slashdot entry instead of doing office work right now. It doesn't mean I have a problem. I'm just bored.
Sounds like someone didn't get his prozac this morning...
Badass Resumes
Obsessive Compulsive behavior can be exhibited for any activity. Even just tapping your foot.
Now really. Of course I wouldn't like being without internet access for several days, for the simple reason that a large part of my life is related to it somehow. With no internet I'd lose contact with many people, would find it much harder to find documentation for some of the work I do, etc.
But isn't every specialist that way? I bet that my father would also feel uncomfortable if he couldn't play the viola for a few days. For me, the main theme in my life is internet and computers. For others it's a musical instrument, drawing, playing soccer, etc. Everybody feels uncomfortable when they're unable to do their favourite activity for a while.
Even for "normal" people with no obsession with anything in particular it still works that way. When somebody's car breaks they're often grumpy while it's being fixed, as all of a sudden their freedom of movement got drastically reduced.
There probably are people with serious problems, but I think most of the people don't have any addiction of any sort, they simply became dependent on it, like many people depend on their car or telephone. For them it just became an indispensable tool.
They use a more rigorous standard than that: how many people make how much noise about whether it counts as a disease.
For example, homosexuality was scientifically proven to be a disease before the 70's. Then because of enough protests, it became scientifically disproven. Likewise, fetishism is currently scientifically proven to be a disease, but if enough people raise a stink, that will count as scientific disproof.
It works the other way too. Formerly it was scientfically proven that alcoholism isn't a disease; people just get drunk a lot. Then because of enough protests from people who didn't want to accept that their spouse is a lousy human being who values physical pleasure over their family, it became scientifically proven that it is a disease.
Give 'em some credit.
Apology to Ubuntu forum.
Cleveland Browns fans who attend every game are also claiming their rights as an addicted minority. "Its horrible" said one fan "year after year we suck and I keep going just waiting for that one big 'hit'"
Celeb Rags also applied for registration under the disability act on the basis that they have "an unreasonable compulsion to print any old crappy photo of anyone who has even been seen with someone who has been on TV", this compulsion is so bad that they are forced to produce glossy magazines every single week.
But if the Internet is an addiction ala heroin, does that make AOL methadone?
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
When I was in 4th grade, I got in trouble by reading the encyclopedia before I had my homework done. Now I'm 50, have been a teacher for years, and tend to scan my live bookmarks, the make blog, and slashdot before I grade tests or make lesson plans. Does it affect my work? Probably. Does it make me a better teacher? Arguably. Could I stop if I chose to? Probably not?
About 15 years ago I lived in an African village for 3 years. What did I miss most? My morning newspaper and public library! I know people who would say the same thing about the NY Times Crossword Puzzle. I don't see any difference between these examples and so-called internet addiction. Maybe psychologists should include these in the DSM too!
I think a lot of these addictions are not rather addictions, but a lack of self-control and discipline. While I'm not debating whether or not there exists such a thing or not, a lot of people claiming internet addiction do so for an excuse- for pills, for pity, for disability compensation.. etc.
Time for all the "I DISAGREE!!!" replies!
Compared to regular medical diagnoses, it's remarkable that the important boundary between healthy and ill is set at an arbitrarily chosen number of symptoms (3 out of 6 or 4 out of 7)
You seem to be implying that non-psychiatric ailments are clear-cut in their diagnoses; while this is true in some cases (e.g., a viral infection is defined by the presence of the virus), it is not true for all diseases. Type 2 diabetes, for example, is defined as "fasting plasma glucose >= 7.0 mM, OR plasma glucose >= 11 mM two hours after a 75g glucose challenge OR random plasma glucose >= 11.1 mM", while the level of blood pressure which is diagnosed as "high" depends upon the presence of other risk factors for heart disease.
Most psychiatric conditions are just like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol: There's a continuum between very healthy and very sick, and groups of doctors get together to decide how to draw a line.
Tarsnap: Online backups for the truly paranoid
I was travelling in Japan for about a week of my three-week stay. The schedule was created by my Japanese host who failed to schedule any time for rest. I was unable to check my email. As I was separated not only from my laptop but from the internet at large, I found myself becoming quite edgy until finally, she brought me to a media cafe allowing me to check emails, browse a few sites and finally restore peace and balance to myself.
While I am not sure I can fully understand the nature of addiction, I fear it. If by some chance, this was the sign of actual addiction, then I'm not sure what to do about it since it's an integral part of my work and my play. Many addictions stem, at least initially, from some sort of pleasure-rewarding recreational activity. In this case, it was more of a feeling of being cut off from a world or a life from which I get a certain level of comfort.
As to internet "behavior"? I have a hard time seeing that as being anything other than actionable by an employer. An employer can refuse to hire or may fire someone for being addicted to drugs or anything else that may be deemed as objectionable in the workplace. I'd say porn is right up there on the list.
The "medium" is one thing and the behavior is another. I think it's important to make that distinction.
Adults are SUPPOSED to be accountable for their actions and inactions. This means that if they find themselves dangerously addicted to something, they are supposed to do something to remedy the condition. You don't just stop at labeling something as a disease and throw your hands in the air. In a previous posting, I discussed a time when I found myself missing work so that I could play a video game. (XWing vs. Tie Fighter in that instance.) When I realized what I was doing, I made changes. It's what adults are supposed to do and what we are supposed to be teaching our children so that they become good adults.
So if someone is fired from their job for being addicted to drugs or alcohol, for being obese, for watching porn or chatting online at the office, then I think it's perfectly acceptable. I say this even though I am guilty of two of these offenses myself. I'm not willing to defend my own behavior by calling it a disease.
When ever I'm on a vacation, I try to stay away from computers as much as possible. For example I had a five week vacation this year and I used the Net only three times. And on each time it was about checking my email. (Yes, I checked my email only three times in five weeks! There were quite many unread messages waiting for me each time :-) )
At work I have to stare the screen 8 hours per day. I don't want to do that when I'm on vacation. It is not good for your physical well being to sit all day long.
Except that by definition you can't scientifically prove anything. All you can do scientifically is advance a theory and show that is supported by experimental evidence available at the time. That's kinda the point of science: it's only as good as the evidence underlying it, and as new evidence comes to light, theories can and should be revised or dropped if this is what the evidence supports.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
So what if it is an addiction. If you are addicted to drugs you get fired from your job. If you can't keep yourself from surfing the net the whole day you get fired. End of story.
GENERATION 27: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation.
Yes, I find it hard to go without the internet for a few days. In fact, it was just about as bad as going without my eyes for a few days after surgery and, I imagine (though I've never had this happen) going without my ears. Of course, going without my eyes wasn't as bad as it might have been, because I had use of the internet before hand, and was thus able to gather a fair number of useful coping tips from other people who had had the same operation.
The internet is "addicting" in the same way any other sense organ or sense-enhancing tool is addicting--once you are aware that there is a way to find out useful things about the world around you it can be very frustrating to have to live without it. For people who don't get it, I suggest removing all the mirrors from their cars for a few days to see how they like having to twist themselves into knots just to find out what's going on around them.
--MarkusQ
But there's being addicted, and then there's it being a "disease." Frankly, I think B. F. Skinner would scoff at the notion. To him, everything was stimulus -> response -> reinforcement, and the more reinforcing an activity was, the more an organism would engage in it. I
Additionally, the less regular the response the more addictive it can be. The old story of the mouse who presses at the lever occasionally when it always dispenses a treat, but feverishly when it randomly dispenses a treat. Slot machines work on the same principle.
In other words, go into your Slashdot preferences and turn off mails about moderation of your comments. Don't go back and look at how your comments were moderated. They're exactly that kind of stimulus.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
"Alcoholism is the only disease you can get yelled at for having. 'Dammit Otto, you're an alcoholic.' 'Dammit Otto, you have Lupus'. One of these just doesn't sound right".
- Mitch Hedberg
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
Does checking Slashdot every 5 minutes mean I have a problem? I can stop anytime I want, I swear. I drive better when web surfing too, now give me my keys!
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
They were never scientifically proven to be anything. The definition of what was considered a disease was set and then things were checked against it. The definitions are what changed, not the scientific process. Being a drunk was considered normal and only the lower classes got drunk a lot so it wasn't worth analyzing. Then when they did start analyzing it they found physical effects, withdrawl and mental addiction.
Look at what happened with Pluto, it was a planet, now it isn't. Did Pluto change? Of course not, it is the definition of what a planet is that has changed.
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
Not having access to your mind, I can't dispute that.
Not having access to an accurate epidemiological study, I can't dispute that either. But I suspect that many "lazy undisciplined fools" _do_ have ADHD, at least if they are underperforming and not simply stupid.
ADHD is not about focus. It's about the stability of attention.
Let me give you the benfit of my personal experience. I have been diagnosed with ADHD without the H. Laziness has never been my problem. I have always been capable of tremendous feats of concentration. I could wrestle with difficult problems hours on end. In a crisis, I had a reputation for cool and collected decision making.
But when you have ADHD, it's the easy things that are hard.
Attention is the sustained coordination of the mind towards some end. There is a "pass band" for stimulation, below which attention wanders, above which it falls apart. For ADHD people, this pass band is very high, high enough that we can't stay on task except in conditions where other people would be paralyzed by overstimulation.
Before I was on meds, I sometimes found myself looking at the start menu and wondering why I had popped it.I would often forget what I wanted to say in the middle of a sentence. I had a reputation for gruffness, because I was always pressuring people to get to the point. What I wanted to pay attention to had absolutely nothing to do with what I could. The degree of chaos, fear, or interest a task involved was everything.
There is an element of foolishness in ADHD, because you get into deeply engrained habits whose effect is to maintain a high level of brain stimulation. For some people this means seeking risk. For others it means seeking conflict. And for still others, this mean seeking interesting things learn. Addictive Internet behavior is a huge problem for the last group. It's also hard to get started on a task that looks boring, because long years of experience teach you that you aren't really going to accomplish anything on it.
ADHD isn't disease like the epilepsy, in which the brain functions break down. It is part of the natural range of human variability. What makes it a disease is that people who have it can't function in society. If society were organized differently, it wouldn't be a disease. However, the society I live in requires that I pay my own bills, pick up my own clothes, remember my own promises and appointments, get myself to work on time, and listen attentively to people who take forever to get to the point.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
seriously. All those World of Warcraft addicts are on unsupervised computers at home. Tell me they aren't multitasking their online gaming addiction with masturbation at the computer? Sexual release is a very powerful drug: http://www.mcmanweb.com/love_lust.htm
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