Internet Addiction Disorder: You May Be Crazy If...
Published July 24, 2008
Here, let me help you answer your question: do you think you're crazy?
A good place to start is to define the word "crazy." The dictionary uses fun words like mentally deranged, demented, insane, unpredictable, and nonconforming to help you grasp its meaning. None of those fall into any mental illness category. It's all slang. It's not science. No prescriptions required. In fact, "crazy" isn't such a bad thing.
The next thing to look at is "too much time." Many people sit in front of a computer all day at work. Some work from home in front of a computer all day. Those people spend a lot more time in front of the computer than others whose jobs are not computer related. Is it pathological? Not if that is what it takes to do a day’s work. And, just how much is “too much” time? Would you say the same thing about reading a good book that you can’t put down?
As soon as you hear that you may have Internet Addiction Disorder, your concern becomes real, as would the concern you have about the amount of your time spent reading, working, watching TV. There are only so many hours in a day. The real question is whether your time on the Internet is at the cost of family, friends, and social activities. Even if you determine that yes, you are neglecting other important aspects of your life, it is not the same as a clinical addiction or any legitimate mental disorder like schizophrenia. It is not even compulsive or obsessive since there is no pre- or post-anxiety that is eased by spending inordinate amounts of time on the Internet. John M. Grohol, says in The Internet Addiction Guide:
What most people online ... are probably suffering from is the desire to not want to deal with other problems in their lives. Those problems may be a mental disorder (depression, anxiety, etc.), a serious health problem or disability, or a relationship problem. It is no different than turning on the TV so you won't have to talk to your spouse, or going "out with the boys" for a few drinks so you don't have to spend time at home. Nothing is different except the modality.In essence, the use of the Internet is not the cause of disruptions in your life; it's just the way it manifests. It does not mean that you have a mental illness.
- Internet Addiction Disorder: You May Be Crazy If...
- Published: July 24, 2008
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Sci/Tech
- Filed Under: Sci/Tech: Computers, Culture: Society, Sci/Tech: Internet
- Writer: Theresa Komor
- Theresa Komor's BC Writer page
- Theresa Komor's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
Good article.
I was going to write a longer comment but I've gotta run and check out my auto forum, and then there's my RSS and craigslist and eBay for some shopping and some email I've gotts answer...
@ mc - I think the reason I looked into IAD and wrote about it was because as soon as you even mention the word 'addiction', all sorts of panic buttons are pushed. It just is not a legitimate mental health disorder!
@ bliffle - I think you're just as crazy as the rest of us! In that good way, of course!
Thank you for your comments!
Theresa
Off a little but not entirely off subject, there was a show on CBC radio that recently discussed the art of writing letters and what it meant to people.
Is this a form of communication that will die off permanently?
My name is Alessandro and I suffer from Invertigopius: A dizzying disorder within a degrading disorder.
Impossible to detect or cure.
I think you'll be ok, Alessandro. Take two aspirin and call your doc in the morning.
Lately, I've noticed that Wired and other popular Internet magazines have picked up on IAD and insist it is a real disorder. It is not. Someone decided to loosely copy the symptoms of Gambling Addiction and called it IAD. Again, it is not a true, mental health disorder.
Theresa
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Hello Theresa: I thoroughly enjoyed your article and found it to be thought provoking. Just because IAD exists does not mean a mental illness is lurking around somewhere. Or maybe it is or is not. Who knows. Only he knows and he is probably not going to tell or maybe she knows and she is not telling. We must be gender neutral, huh.
mc