Should the U.S. Recognize Internet Addiction as a Mental Illness?

Is internet addiction real? Do you spend too much time online? Could you be addicted to the internet? These are questions that I began to wonder as my kids complained that all I do is sit on the computer. They are right, I tend to spend more time on websites than I do with them which made me decide to read up and take action.

Do a Google search for internet addiction and you will get nearly 755,000 search results. Other terms used are: Internet Addiction Disorder, compulsive internet use, web dependency, and pathological internet use. Clearly it is a problem that is being looked into. Compulsive internet use is classified as a mental illness in many countries, but in the U.S. it is not listed in the DSM-IV, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The DSM-IV, used by counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists nationwide, infers that people can basically only be addicted to substances, such as drugs and not actions.

However, there are many cases of people who overuse the net so much that they are neglecting their work obligations and families to spend time online. There have even been cases where people became violent from not being able to log on. The internet can make infidelity, gambling and pornography readily accessible from your own home.

The argument that many would make is that the computer or the internet is not the problem, it is the reasoning for the person being on so much that is the problem. For example, not being very outgoing and finding it easier to meet people online, the computer is not technically the problem here. The same principle for gambling or shopping, the internet is just the vehicle used for the addiction or the overuse. If there were no computers, these people would find another way to exercise there addiction. Therefore, can you technically be addicted to the internet itself?

It has also been noted that most people that have internet addiction also have preexisting problems such as: depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, impulse control disorders, alcohol or tobacco use. It will be interesting to see what further studies in this area shows.