Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Studies, and Treatment

Introduction to Internet Addiction

It is estimated that nearly five million people today are addicted to the Internet. With that many people experiencing addiction symptoms, it is important for the mental health community to develop effective methods of treatment. In an article published in the March–April 1998 issue of Psychology Today, author Carol Potera explores the questions and realities of online use and addiction.

Although use of the Internet became common in the early 1990s, it was not until 1994 that associate professor of psychology Kimberly Young discovered that some people were spending an inordinate amount of time online and suffering negative consequences as a result. Lacking an established name for the condition, she called it "Internet Addiction."

Early Research and Prevalence Estimates

Young's survey of 500 Internet users led her to classify participants as either dependent or non-dependent on the Internet. Dependent users reported spending an average of 38 hours per week online, compared to just 5 hours reported by non-dependent users. Thirty-five percent of dependent users said their favorite online activity was chatting in chat rooms. A follow-up study conducted two years later showed that dependent users spent twice as much time in chat rooms as non-dependent users.

Young's study also asked about financial, personal, work, or school problems caused by Internet use. Half of the dependent users reported experiencing such problems, while none of the non-dependent users did.

A separate study reported even more striking statistics. Counseling Net cited research by Dr. Janet Morahn-Martin at Bryant College, in which she concluded that 72% of those with high Internet use experienced problems with work, school, and personal relationships (COUNSELING).

The precise number of people affected by Internet Addiction is difficult to determine, but estimates can be drawn from comparisons with other addictions. Because approximately five to ten percent of people who drink alcohol or gamble develop addiction problems, researchers estimated that of the 47 million people online at the time of the study, as many as two to five million may have developed Internet Addiction.

Who Is Most at Risk and Why

Young was surprised to find that middle-aged women, rather than young men, were the most likely to become dependent Internet users. This finding stood in contrast to other statistics from the same period, which described the typical Internet user as a white North American male aged 35–44 with a bachelor's degree (SULER).

Sixty percent of users who became dependent were women, who reported a preference for chat rooms because those environments allowed them to interact with others while revealing only as much about themselves as they chose. Psychologist Sherry Turkle argued that one component of Internet Addiction is that being online allows people to pretend to be someone other than themselves.

Why do people become addicted in the first place? The answers can be surprisingly simple — and deceptive in their simplicity. Richard Davis wrote in "The Treatment of Internet Addiction" that reinforcers include "the computer room environment, the chair one sits on, the feel of the keyboard and mouse in one's hand, the sound of the computer's fan running, and various audio signals (e.g., beeps, clicks, bells, etc.) that are produced by computer software programs." He also identified maladaptive cognitions about the self, including thoughts such as: "I have control and power online, whereas I don't have such power offline," "I am worthless offline, but online I am someone," and "I get respect online, but offline I don't." Maladaptive cognitions about the world include beliefs such as: "Nobody offline loves me," "everyone is addicted to the Internet in some way," and "the Internet is the only place you can really get to know someone."

As the concept of Internet Addiction gained wider recognition, it became apparent that the label itself was problematic. Many psychologists do not approve of the term "addiction" and prefer the term "dependence" instead. Regardless of terminology, as the number of affected individuals grew, psychologists had to be prepared to address it. One central question — which remains unresolved — is whether Internet Addiction produces chemical changes in the brain in the way that other accepted addictions do. Young argued that even if no such chemical changes occur, the social problems associated with excessive Internet use are comparable to those seen in recognized addictions.

Conclusion

Since there is so much of value on the Internet, it is not going to disappear from modern life. Psychologists must therefore continue to deepen their understanding of Internet Addiction and develop more effective interventions to help those who struggle with compulsive online use.

Works Cited

COUNSELING. "Internet Addiction," on Counseling Net web site, quoting Dr. Janet Morahn-Martin, Bryant College. http://www.counselingnet.com/counselingnet/discussd.html

LEGAL. "The Legal Ramifications of Internet Addiction." Center for Online Addiction.

MONITOR. "Clinicians Drawn In by Clients with Internet Abuse Problems," American Psychological Association web site, Monitor on Psychology, Volume 31, No. 4, April 2000.

SULER. "Internet Demographics," by John Suler, PhD. In The Psychology of Cyberspace (orig. pub. 1996).

SULER2. "Computer and Cyberspace Addiction," by John Suler, PhD. In The Psychology of Cyberspace (orig. pub. 1996).

TREATMENT. "Treatment of Internet Addiction," by Richard Davis. Retrieved from the World Wide Web: http://www.internetaddiction.ca/treatment.htm