My Bright Hub colleague Lamar Stonecypher wrote an article back in 2001, entitled Are You Addicted to the Internet?, a tongue in cheek look at the topic which, to his surprise, was taken as seriously by most readers as Dr. Ivan Goldberg’s original post on Internet Addiction Disorder.
Dr. Block says about 86% of those diagnosed with IAD have some other mental disease. Is Internet addiction truly on the rise- if it exists- or are the people who are said to have IAD actually individuals with compulsive or addictive behaviors who happen to spend a lot of time online? Internet Addiction Disorder is generally broken into five subtypes - among which are online gambling, cybersex, and excessive email or texting use. Compulsive gambling and sexual addiction are considered mental disorders in whatever form they occur.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (or CDO- for those who suffer from it and want it spelled alphabetically) is already a recognized condition. Certainly, it can be agreed that the world wide web (www) has facilitated people who are compulsive gamblers or sexual addicts by making it easier for them to find ways of satisfying their mental disorders. But those people would have found a way to perform their addictive behaviors in any environment. People who follow politics, read books, play games, chat, or shop a lot are going to exhibit that behavior in their daily life whether they are online or not. And most people find themselves neglecting aspects of their everyday lives when they feel the need for escape from that life.
I know students who have recently flunked out of college due to their appetite for playing World of Warcraft or similar games. And twenty years ago, I knew a college student who lost his scholarship due to his compulsive desire to master the game of Go during one semester.
I think the answer to the question "Is Internet Addiction on the Rise?" is "No." Internet use continues to rise, and as the number of people using the Internet to access the web increases, a proportionate number of those people are likely to be individuals who have symptoms of mental illness. This does not mean that a brand new cause of mental illness has come into existence. Obsessive behavior manifested as excessive time spent using the Internet needs to be treated, but calling the problem IAD does not make their problem a new disease.
Our technologized society has become increasingly focused on the access and transfer of information through the www, because the world wide web exponentially increases the amount of information available to individuals. It has also stimulated new research and fostered new businesses. The network of networks that is the Internet, the information stored on the web, and the increased ease of communication through email, IM, and chat are ways in which we enrich both our lives and those with whom we interact. And even those who suffer from compulsive behavior or other forms of mental illness have found information on the Internet invaluable in helping research what is wrong or finding means of help.
The inherent irony of finding so many sites devoted to helping those whom they diagnose with IAD by means of the Internet is – pointedly- a classic example of Marshall McLuhan’s "the medium is the message."