Internet addiction: a psychiatric disorder?

April 4th, 2008 by admin

The March issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry published a note by Dr. Jerald Block in which he argues that Internet addiction should be included in the next update of the DSM handbook, the Bible of mental health conditions.

Dr Block says that the diagnosis of Internet addiction is a type of compulsive-impulsive disorder that involves online and/or offline computer usage. He recognizes three subtypes, characterised by a) excessive gaming, b) sexual preoccupations, and c) e-mail/text messaging.

In turn, these variants have the following four components:

1) excessive use (through loss of sense of time)

2) withdrawal (characterised by feelings of anger and/or depression when the computer is not available)

3) tolerance (need for better computer equipment, more software, or more hours of use)

4) negative repercussions in social life (arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation, and fatigue)

Some countries are already deeply concerned about this problem, such as Korea and China, where studies have shown that large numbers of adolescents are in need of psychiatric counseling or even medication and hospitalization due to Internet and gaming addiction. Data from USA is lacking because the vast majority of Internet users access the network from home (in Asia, use of Internet cafés is more widespread) and so it is difficult to assess, but the situation seems not much different.

Inclusion into DSM-V is a critical goal for many professionals who investigate new or poorly described mental conditions. Being listed in DSM is a sort of ‘official recognition’ as a disease and thus it is more likely to get grants or other forms of financial help to carry out studies and trials, which will lead to improving the chances for treatment.