Necessity is the Mother of Addiction

Scientists reveal Internet addiction disorder; affects teens, Boomers most.

Technological progress has bred a new addiction among us. Israeli researchers from Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine estimate that ten percent (1 out of 10) individuals suffer from an addiction to the Internet, with mostly teens and people in their 50’s afflicted most (Science Daily).

Psychiatrist Dr. Pinhas Dannon recommends that Internet addiction disorder (IAD) be categorized with other extreme addictive disorders such as gambling, sex addiction, and kleptomania. If left untreated, IAD may lead to anxiety and deep depression.

Currently, mental health professionals group IAD with the more familiar Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a mild to severe mental health condition generally characterized by ritualistic hand-washing and, as related to the Internet, compulsive Web surfing.

“But we are saying that we need to look at Internet addiction differently,” reported Dannon on behalf of his colleagues from Tel Aviv University and the Be'er Ya'acov Mental Health Center. “Internet addiction is not manifesting itself as an ‘urge.’ It’s more than that. It’s a deep ‘craving.’ And if we don’t make the change in the way we classify Internet addiction, we won’t be able to treat it in the proper way.”

Two groups tend to be affected most by IAD, according to Dannon. Teens are most afflicted, followed by Baby Boomers in their mid-50’s. Baby Boomers suffering from the “empty nest syndrome” are more likely to attempt to ease their boredom or anxiety through the Internet. Symptoms of IAD include sleep deprivation, anxiety when not online, loss of work, isolation from loved ones, and periods of deep depression.

Suggested treatments include the same methods used to treat similar disorders, such as gambling addiction. Talk therapy and prescription medications may be effective, says Dannon, but it is vital to educate mental health professionals in the school and other doctors about IAD.
Addiction specialist Dannon explains that sufferers of IAD are a product of the modern age. “They are just like anyone else who is addicted to coffee, exercise, or talking on their cellular phone. As the times change, so do our addictions.”