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Tuesday, January 06, 2009
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The Serious Business of Internet Addiction
By Randi Fredricks
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Internet addiction, or internet addiction disorder as it is also called, is serious business. Symptoms of internet addiction include a general disregard of one's health, personal needs, nourishment and hygiene. It can result in the "cyber shakes," which include agitation and typing motions of the fingers while away from the keyboard. Other general symptoms include dry eyes and repetitive-motion injuries in the hands, wrists, neck, back and shoulders.
As the disorder of internet addiction progresses, symptoms get worse. More advanced symptoms include:
- Internet is often accessed more often or for longer periods of time than was intended.
- There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control Internet use.
- A great deal of time is spent in activities related to Internet use (for example, buying Internet books, trying out new WWW browsers, researching Internet vendors, organizing files of downloaded materials).
- Important family, social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced in duration and/or frequency because of Internet use.
- Internet use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical, family, social, occupational, or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by Internet use (for example, sleep deprivation, marital difficulties, lateness for early morning appointments, neglect of occupational duties, or feelings of abandonment in significant others).
Counseling can help support going "cold turkey", and other methods such as physical activity, antidepressants, and enforcement of strict regular sleeping patterns.
Internet Addiction Test
The following test was created by the Center for Internet Addiction to be used as tool to help people determine if
they might have an internet addiction. Whenever someone does any type of test with regards to addiction, it's important
to remember that the general rule for determining addiction is - what happens when someone is using, not how often
they use.
To assess your level of addiction, answer the following questions using this scale:
1 = Rarely.
2 = Occasionally.
3 = Frequently.
4 = Often.
5 = Always.
1. How often do you find that you stay on-line longer than you intended?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
2. How often do you neglect household chores to spend more time on-line?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
3. How often do you prefer the excitement of the Internet to intimacy with your partner?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
4. How often do you form new relationships with fellow on-line users?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
5. How often do others in your life complain to you about the amount of time you spend on-line?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
6. How often do your grades or school work suffer because of the amount of time you spend on-line?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
7. How often do you check your e-mail before something else that you need to do?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
8. How often does your job performance or productivity suffer because of the Internet?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
9. How often do you become defensive or secretive when anyone asks you what you do on-line?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
10. How often do you block out disturbing thoughts about your life with soothing thoughts of the Internet?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
11. How often do you find yourself anticipating when you will go on-line again?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
12. How often do you fear that life without the Internet would be boring, empty, and joyless?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
13. How often do you snap, yell, or act annoyed if someone bothers you while you are on-line?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
14. How often do you lose sleep due to late-night log-ins?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
15. How often do you feel preoccupied with the Internet when off-line, or fantasize about being on-line?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
16. How often do you find yourself saying "just a few more minutes" when on-line?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
17. How often do you try to cut down the amount of time you spend on-line and fail?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
18. How often do you try to hide how long you've been on-line?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
19. How often do you choose to spend more time on-line over going out with others?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
20. How often do you feel depressed, moody, or nervous when you are off-line, which goes away once you are back on-line?
1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply
Scoring the Test
After you've answered all the questions, add the numbers you selected for each response to obtain a final score.
The higher your score, the greater your level of addiction and the problems your Internet usage causes.
Here's a general scale to help measure your score:
20 - 49 points: You are an average on-line user. You may surf the Web a bit too long at times, but you have control over your usage.
50 -79 points: You are experiencing occasional or frequent problems because of the Internet. You should consider their full impact on your life.
80 - 100 points: Your Internet usage is causing significant problems in your life. You should evaluate the impact of the Internet on your life and address the problems directly caused by your Internet usage.
After you have identified the category that fits your total score, look back at those questions for which your scored a 4 or 5. Did you realize this was a significant problem for you? For example, if you answered 4 (often) to Question #2 regarding your neglect of household chores, were you aware of just how often your dirty laundry piles up or how empty the refrigerator gets?
Say you answered 5 (always) to Question #14 about lost sleep due to late-night log-ins. Have you ever stopped to
think about how hard it has become to drag yourself out of bed every morning? Do you feel exhausted at work?
Has this pattern begun to take its toll on your body and your overall health?
Therapy Helps With Internet Addiction
Individual and group psychotherapy is one the most useful recovery strategies to stop internet addiction for
addicts and their families. Some researchers believe that people develop an inordinate attachment to the World Wide
Web in the same way other addictions develop. Although there is no DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders) label at this date, it would appear that there will likely be one in the DSM-V. It could
be called "Cyberspace Addiction."
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