But as reliance on the Web grows, there are signs that the question is getting more serious attention: Last month, a study published in CNS spectrums claimed to be the first large-scale look at excessive Internet use. The American Psychiatric Association may consider listing Internet addiction in the next edition of its diagnostic manual. And scores of online discussion boards have popped up on which people discuss negative experiences tied to too much time on the web.
“There is no question that there’re people who’re seriously in trouble because they’re overdoing their Internet involvement,” said psychiatrist Ivan Goldberg. Goldberg calls the problem a disorder rather than a true addiction.
Jonathan Bishop, a researcher in Wales specializing in online communities, is more skeptical. “The Internet is an environment,” she said, “You can’t be addicated to the environment.” Bishop describes the problem as simply a matter of priorities, which can be solved by encouraging people to prioritize other life goals and plans in place of time spent online.
The new CNS Spectrums study was based on results of a nationwide telephone survey of more than 2,5000 adults. Like the 2005 survey, this one was conducted by Stanford University researchers. About 6% of respondents reported that “their relationships suffered because of excessive Internet use.” About 9% attempted to conceal “nonessential Internet use,” and nearly 4% reported feeling “preoccupied by the Internet when offline.”
About 8% said they used the Internet as a way to escape problems, and almost 14% reported they “found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time.”
“The Internet problem is still in its infancy,” said Elias Aboujaoude, a Stanford Professor. No single online activity is to blame for excessive use, he said. “They’re online in chat rooms, checking e-mail, or writing blogs. The problem is not limited to porn or gambling” websites.
Excessive Internet use should be defined not by the number of hours spent online but “in terms of losses,” said Maressa Orzack, a Harvard University professor. “It it’s a loss where you’re not getting to work, and family relationships are breaking down as a result, then it’s too much.”
Since the early 1990s, several clinics have been established in the U.S. to treat heavy Internet users. They include the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery and the center for Internet Behavior.
The website for Orzack’s center lists the following among the psychological symptoms of computer addiction:
· Having a sense of well-being or excitement while at the computer.
· Longing for more and more time at the computer.
· Neglect of family and friends.
· Feeling empty, depressed or irritable when not at the computer.
· Lying to employers and family about activities.
· Inability to stop the activity.
· Problems with school or job.
Physical symptoms listed include dry eyes, backaches, skipping meals, poor personal hygiene and sleep disturbances.
People who struggle with excessive Internet use may be depressed or have other mood disorders, Orzack said. When she discussed Internet habits with her patients, they often report that being online offers a “sense of belonging, an escape, excitement and fun,” she said. “Some people say relief … because they find themselves so relaxed.”
Some parts of the Internet seems to draw people in more than others. Internet gamers spend countless hours competing in games against people from all over the world. One such game, called World of Warcraft, is cited on many sites by posters complaining of a “gaming addiction”.
Andrew Heidrich, an education network administrator from Sacramento, plays World of Warcraft for about two to four hours every other night, but that’s nothing compared with the 40 to 60 hours a week he spent playing online games when he was in college. He cut back only after a full-scale family intervention, in which relatives told him he’d gained weight.
“There’s this whole culture of competition that sucks people in” with online gaming, said Heifrich, now a father of two. “People do it at the expense of everything that was a constant in their lives.” Heidrich now visits websites that discuss gaming addiction regularly “to remind my self to keep my love for online games in check.”
Toebe also regularly visits a site where posters discuss Internet overuse. In August, when she first realized she had a problem, she posted a message on a Yahoo Internet addiction group with the subject online: “I have an Internet Addiction.”
“I’m self-employed and need the Internet for my work, but I’m failing to accomplish my work, to take care of my home, to give attention to my children,” she wrote in a message sent to the group. “I have no money or insurance to get professional help; I can’t even pay my mortgage and face losing everything.”
Since then, Toebe said, she ahs kept her promise to cut back on her internet use. “I have a boyfriend now, and I’m not interested in online dating.” She said by phone last week. “It’s a lot better now.”
