By Iman Bakhit
Staff Writer
Today people all live two separate lives, a regular and an online one, and at some point everyone has joked about being addicted to the internet.
The DSM-V, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition, is deciding on this, since most internet addicts show signs of confusion, compulsive and impulsive behavior. However, it is not an official mental illness, which causes some to believe that internet addiction IAD is not a phenomenon. There are more facts to prove that IAD should be treated as a disorder instead of the opposite, and that it should be added to the DSM-V. It has symptoms, signs on whether or not one might have IAD and how it has affected many people already.
The DSM-V is the 2013 update to the American Psychiatric Association’s classification and diagnostic tool that serves as authority for psychiatric diagnosis.
According to the DSM-V, “gamers,” on the internet show distress and go through withdrawal when they aren’t online, endangering them academically. When the gamers are engaging online, some parts of their brain are triggered in the same way a drug addict would to a substance, making them feel a sense of pleasure or reward.
Ironically, the issue of IAD is attended in detail, online. The websites are full of knowledge about internet and computer disorder, providing information about its symptoms and what to expect if one suspects they are addicted.
One could also get significantly worse depending on how often they stay online, as well how one reacts to the withdrawal afterwards. Many other similar addictions have also been classified as mental illnesses, this one is not any different. It’s very easy to develop IAD and hard to stop it, so it should be stated as a mental illness.
According to helpguide.org, signs of IAD include losing track of time, isolation from friends and family, and feeling defensive about the time spent online. Most internet addictions come from developing cyber-relationships, net compulsions, cybersex, as well as off-line games such as solitaire.
One of the most common forms of IAD is that of online gaming addiction, which affects five million children according to internetaddictiondisorder.org. Children as well as adolescents have the highest risk of developing IAD. Even so, people still have their doubts about IAD and whether it’s really just a habit one can easily overcome, since it’s not considered an official mental disorder.
In the DSM-V, it is shown that IAD is to be, “further studied,” meaning it i`s excluded from the official mental illnesses, because there hasn’t been enough evidence, making the discovery of IAD unsupported.
However, IAD is extremely serious and it should be treated as a mental illness. It can disrupt one’s academic path and send them plummeting as well as breaking connections with family and friends, only to see cyber ones. It seems like one way to prevent internet and computer addiction is to seek a Certified Addictions Counselor who is trained in the treatment of IAD.
Although many people do not see internet addiction as a threat, it can produce an immense impact on many lives and affect people of all ages. The internet is beginning to penetrate every aspect of life.
The more reach internet gets into our lives the more various effects it will have on people, some will inevitably be negative and dangerous. Although it may still be too early call the internet’s effects a mental disorder, there are highly dangerous effects it may have on people causing them to become compulsive about its use. This simply can no longer be overlooked or dismissed as harmless and must be addressed and treated as an Internet Addiction Disorder.
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