Sunday, February 13, 2011

Welcome!

Do you stay online longer than originally intended, or neglect sleep to stay online?  These are just two of many symptoms that could indicate Internet Addiction Disorder or (IAD).  However, defining it isn’t as clear cut as the acronym would suggest.  The leading organization that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment for people with mental disorders is The American Psychiatric Association.  Currently the APA has not identified internet addiction as a separate disorder, it is most often classified as an Impulse Control Disorder.

Meanwhile, other countries are busy acting to curb this growing problem.  In China the government is giving parents the power to control their child’s use of gaming.  According to the AFP by March 1st, 2011 “parents will be able to put daily or weekly restrictions” on time spent playing online games.  Also, gaming companies are ordered to “comply with the new guidelines.”  While this sort of overreaching might be counterproductive, there is still something that can be learned.  The parents have an active role to play in any young person’s life, and internet addiction is no exception.

Addiction and dependence go hand in hand, so is it an addiction if your dependant on the internet for school, business, or any information that is used for your daily routine? A casual observer might point to how one copes with the prolonged absence of the internet.  In one county in northern Virginia internet service was cut off for 33 hours due to recent weather.  Needless to say customers were less than happy. The disgruntled customers expressed their discontent in local newspapers’, and blogs’ comments section online.  While most were not acceptable to be quoted, they all had the same message.  We cannot survive a day without the internet. Basically a grey area exists in internet addiction and casual, albeit necessary use in our daily lives.

If you want to see if your addicted to the internet visit: IAD Test
I scored a respectable 25 which puts me in the lowest of a three tier system that classifies the level of addiction.

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3 comments:

  1. Cassie2/14/2011 2:53 PM

    I was wondering if you had found any information on the demographic, specifically age, that is most likely to have IAD. I feel as though it would be the generation of kids that are currently in middle or high school right now but I also realize that our generation has become increasingly reliant on the internet for social, work or school functions. Just curious as to who is most affected by this disorder.

    Also, I took the quiz and scored a 22.

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  2. Internet Addiction4/26/2011 6:46 PM

    @Cassie: As of right now the rule of thumb is the younger the age group the more at risk they are to internet addiction. at least the ages where they can navigate the computer and internet on their own. I agree with you 100% that middle and high school kids are increasingly at risk due to their integration of school and social life's.

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  3. Scott Lieberman4/27/2011 12:09 PM

    I also got a 22. I was just wondering if the quiz is real or it just give the same grades to all?

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