Dr. Kimberly Young, co-author of our class text, is a licensed clinical psychologist and a professor of management sciences at St. Bonaventure University. (Faculty Page)She is also the director of the Center for Internet Addiction.
FROM THE CENTER FOR INTERNET ADDICTION BLOG
Friday, March 28, 2008
Should Internet Addiction be included in the DSM?
In the American Journal of Psychiatry for March, an editorial offers the opinion that Internet addiction is a 'compulsive-impulsive' disorder, and should be added to the official DSM guidebook of disorders(Emphasis added). The editorial characterizes net addiction as including 'excessive gaming, online sexual pre-occupations and e-mail/text messaging'. From the article: 'Like other addicts, users experience cravings, urges, withdrawal and tolerance, requiring more and better equipment and software, or more and more hours online, according to Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. Dr. Block says people can lose all track of time or neglect "basic drives," like eating or sleeping. Relapse rates are high, he writes, and some people may need psychoactive medications or hospitalization." Going back to 1994, when I started to study Internet addiction, many did question its validity. Today, documented cases in Italy, Germany, China, Taiwan, and Korea as well as the US, support that Internet addiction is a serious condition.
No comments:
Post a Comment