Do You or Someone You Know Suffer from IAD?

Here’s the latest social disorder:  Internet Addiction Disorder, or IAD for short.

According to Computer World, IAD started out as a joke but it is now seriously being considered for inclusion in the 2012 issue of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.  If included in the manual, medical insurance would pay for counseling for those who suffer from Internet Addiction Disorder.

Despite its questionable status as a genuine mental disorder, China views the problem seriously.  Its Linyi Mental Health Hospital has already treated 3000 young people for the “addiction,” which its psychologists claim is suffered by those who “spend over six hours a day online playing games or watching porn instead of doing work, and who may become angry when kept offline.”  Until recently, Chinese psychologists were treating “Internet addicts” with electroshock therapy.  Australia’s News.com reports that the Chinese National People’s Congress claims that 10% of its under-18 population suffers from Internet Addiction Disorder.

Mind Disorders describes the symptoms of Internet Addiction Disorder:

“One symptom of Internet addiction is excessive time devoted to Internet use. A person might have difficulty cutting down on his or her online time even when they are threatened with poor grades or loss of a job. There have been cases reported of college students failing courses because they would not take time off from Internet use to attend classes. Other symptoms of addiction may include lack of sleep, fatigue, declining grades or poor job performance, apathy, and racing thoughts. There may also be a decreased investment in social relationships and activities. A person may lie about how much time was spent online or deny that they have a problem. They may be irritable when offline, or angry toward anyone who questions their time on the Internet.”

It seems to me that given the standards discussed for IAD, anything that people use to “escape reality” would be considered a disorder.  Some people watch television for six or more hours a day.  Others escape by reading fiction.

It will be interesting to see if IAD creates a new group of counseling specialists and if we start seeing public service ads about getting help for Internet Addiction Disorder.  My personal opinion is that when we feel unfulfilled in life, we’ll turn to anything — whether it’s the Internet, books, TV, games, extreme sports, religion or whatever — to entertain ourselves.  The greater “disorder” is that for the most part, we lack personal meaning and passion.  Blaming the Internet or other sources of addictions will never get rid of the “disorder.”

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