Outpatient Internet/computer Rehab And Treatment Programs
Outpatient Internet/computer rehab and treatment programs are also available. This type of program may be most suitable if you simply are not able to take time away from your family or your job in order to receive treatment. While attending this type of program, you will be able to live at home and check in with the center regularly for treatment.
How To Stop Internet Addiction
This article was co-authored by Tasha Rube, LMSW. Tasha Rube is a Licensed Social Worker based in Kansas City, Kansas. Tasha is affiliated with the Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. She received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Missouri in 2014.There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 327,286 times.
Although it’s not yet recognized as an official disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , internet addiction is an increasingly prevalent problem that affects a lot of people. Psychological research is seeing a growing trend of addictive online behavior, with participants experiencing the same kinds of stimulus-based highs reflective of other addictions like gambling or compulsive shopping.XTrustworthy SourcePubMed CentralJournal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of HealthGo to source It can have serious effects on the mental and emotional health of addicts, leaving them lonely, anxious, and depressed. Addictions can also have unwanted repercussions in important parts of a person’s life, such as work productivity and personal relationships. This article will help you start turning your life around, so you can step away from the internet and improve your relationships in the real world.
Tips To Overcome Internet Addiction
If you find in it inevitable to look at your phone again and again, checking your social media accounts, and signing in frequently, you might be suffering from internet addiction. Internet addiction happens when you get dependant on the use of internet whether it is texting, constantly peeking, or using social media. Professionals have compared this addiction to drug addiction because it impacts your health, work performance, daily life, engagement with others, and mental process the same way drugs do.
Throughout 2014, around 420 million people were addicted to the internet. The American Psychiatric Association has also stated that kids of age 13-17 are almost online constantly. Such statistics show that internet addiction is getting more common and real day by day. If you find yourself or your loved one suffering with this, there are a few things that can be done to overcome it. Such as:
Also Check: How To Control Your Addiction
What Are The Effects Of Internet Addiction
Internet addiction is similar to other types of addictions because it interrupts your real-life relationships with friends and family. Time away from real-life relationships can cause you to be socially awkward because you havent practiced your social skills with real people.
Internet addiction can also cause:
- Insomnia
- Dry eyes from looking at a screen for a long time
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
Diagnostic Criteria For Iad
The first serious proposal for diagnostic criteria was advanced in 1996 by Dr. Young, modifying the DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling . Since then variations in both name and criteria have been put forward to capture the problem, which is now most popularly known as Internet Addiction Disorder. Problematic Internet Use , computer addiction, Internet dependence , compulsive Internet use, pathological Internet use , and many other labels can be found in the literature. Likewise a variety of often overlapping criteria have been proposed and studied, some of which have been validated. However, empirical studies provide an inconsistent set of criteria to define Internet addiction . For an overview see Byun et al. .
There has been also been a variety of assessment tools used in evaluation. Youngs Internet Addiction Test , the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire developed by Demetrovics, Szeredi, and Pozsa and the Compulsive Internet Use Scale are all examples of instruments to assess for this disorder.
Read Also: How To Stop Being Addicted To Games
Internet Addiction Side Effects
1- Seeing the world around you has a life you know this life may be fake and you cant do what it does.2- Increasing bullying of all members of society, which causes weakness of personality in the face of such a society.3- Lack of protection from any clips that cause psychological harm, which may be violent or pornographic content.4- Exposure to various types of emotional blackmail and sexual harassment on various Internet sites.5- Hacking your website.6- Seeking to imitate some of the different personalities that are not worthy of emulating them.
All of the above makes a person, especially a teenager, not know where to start until he reaches the illusory perfection that he believes to himself in the social media scene. From achieving a large number of likes and interactions on his various publications or even to a photo of him.
What Are The Adverse Effects Of Internet Addiction
For someone who has internet addiction, it affects nearly every aspect of their life. Addiction often leads to depression or feelings of restlessness. It may even render someone unable to work or go to school. Just completing the daily routine may become difficult. It is in these tough times that someone with an addiction may use time online to fill the void. Maladaptive behaviors like constantly checking social networking sites or using a phone or computer to disconnect from the world may be present. Other facets of life may yield less enjoyment.
Relationships with family and friends may suffer due to self-defeating behaviors, including:
- Asserting constant control
Addicted teens do not experience the same mental and emotional welfare as other teens. This can lead to them withdrawing from ordinary life. Internet addiction can also lead to other problems. The anxiety surrounding internet addiction can motivate addicted teens and children to engage in unsafe compulsive behavior. It is easy for teens and parents to ignore these issues because, after all, internet use is essential. In fact, 95% of teens now report they have a smartphone or access to one. That said, although the world seems to revolve around internet usage, it becomes unhealthy in some cases. If this sounds familiar to your family, it might be time to have a conversation with your child and maybe even consider treatment.
Recommended Reading: What Am I Addicted To
Medication For Internet Addiction
Internet addiction medical treatment is limited. In some cases, internet addiction may be rooted in other disorders such as depression or anxiety. When this is the case, medication to treat the underlying disorder may prove beneficial in treating the internet addiction. For example, if internet addiction develops as a byproduct of depression, using antidepressants may relieve the desire to engage in internet addiction-related behaviors. Mood stabilizers used for impulse control disorders may also be helpful in reducing the impulse to use the internet.
What Is The Outlook For Someone With A Technology Addiction
Someone with an IAD, if left untreated, may develop further episodes of depression and anxiety. Severe physical consequences may also develop. For example, someone with an IAD may start eating instant foods to save time or they may skip daily hygiene. Over time this can lead to bigger health concerns such as obesity. The lack of sleep can also contribute to these consequences and increase your risk for other disorders.
Also Check: How To Get An Addict Into Treatment
What Kind Of Professional Should You See About Internet Addiction In Teens
The type of internet addiction treatment should be as unique as the individual. Some programs like Outback Therapeutic Expeditions have master level clinicians working with your child every day. They have experience treating people who have had this type of addiction. They have had successful outcomes that have transformed lives. Seeking treatment from programs or practitioners who have had results with internet addiction specifically can help with the process. Programs that are effective for teens often go beyond talk therapy. They focus on the combination of many modalities. This allows them to provide individualized treatment plans.
Can You Be Addicted To The Internet
Yes, you can be addicted to the internet. Internet addiction is a type of behavioral addiction that occurs when a person becomes dependent on using online devices. This kind of addiction is becoming more common throughout the world as technology advances in continents like Asia and North America. There are three major subtypes of internet addiction: video game addiction, online gambling addiction, and cybersex/online sex addiction.
Even though internet addiction is so widespread, it is not yet recognized as an official mental disorder. But since more people are using the internet uncontrollably every day, more research is continually being done to understand this unique disease.
Internet addiction is most common among young individuals, especially teenagers with immediate access to the internet. It may be triggered by stress, mental disorders like anxiety, and more.
Recommended Reading: How To Conquer Sugar Addiction
What Is Internet Addiction
Do you play video games on the Internet in excess? Are you compulsively shopping online? Cant physically stop checking Facebook? Is your excessive computer use interfering with your daily life relationships, work, school? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be suffering from Internet Addition Disorder, also commonly referred to as Compulsive Internet Use , Problematic Internet Use , or iDisorder. Originally debated as a real thing, it was satirically theorized as a disorder in 1995 by Dr. Ivan Goldberg, MD who compared its original model to pathological gambling. Since this hoax of sorts, the disorder has rapidly gained ground and has been given serious attention from many researchers, mental health counselors, and doctors as a truly debilitating disorder. Though not officially recognized as a disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , its prevalence in American and European cultures is staggering affecting up to 8.2% of the general population. However, some reports suggest it affects up to 38% of the general population. The widely variable difference in prevalence rates might be contributed to the fact that no true and standardized criteria has been selected for Internet Addiction Disorder. It is researched differently among scientists and mental health professionals. And, it is researched differently across ethnic cultures.
The Treatment Of Internet Addiction
There is a general consensus that total abstinence from the Internet should not be the goal of the interventions and that instead, an abstinence from problematic applications and a controlled and balanced Internet usage should be achieved . The following paragraphs illustrate the various treatment options for IAD that exist today. Unless studies examining the efficacy of the illustrated treatments are not available, findings on the efficacy of the presented treatments are also provided. Unfortunately, most of the treatment studies were of low methodological quality and used an intra-group design.
The general lack of treatment studies notwithstanding, there are treatment guidelines reported by clinicians working in the field of IAD. In her book Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Evaluation, and Treatment, Young offers some treatment strategies which are already known from the cognitive-behavioral approach: practice opposite time of Internet use , use external stoppers , set goals , abstain from a particular application , use reminder cards , develop a personal inventory , enter a support group , and engage in family therapy . Unfortunately, clinical evidence for the efficacy of these strategies is not mentioned.
Read Also: Should I Leave My Drug Addict Husband
If Youre Concerned About A Loved One
Looking at porn isnt always cause for concern.
It could be a case of curiosity, or the person may genuinely enjoy porn with no ill effects.
It may be a problem if you notice that your loved one:
- watches while at work or at other inappropriate places and times
- spends increasing amounts of time watching porn
- is unable to keep up with their social, occupational, or other important obligations
- is experiencing relationship difficulties
- has tried to cut back or stop, but cant keep themselves away from it
If someone you care about shows signs of a compulsion or addiction, it may be time to open the lines of nonjudgmental communication.
Effects Of Internet Addiction: Short
When it comes to internet addiction , there are both short-term and long-term effects, of which can prove harmful to the individual. Short-term effects include:
- Incomplete tasks
- Loss of a job
- Financial strain
When one is farther into their addiction, they are more likely to experience the above side effects. As they spend more and more time on the internet, they are at a greater risk of experiencing carpal tunnel, hurting their vision, damaging their relationships, losing their job, and entering financial distress as a result of their job loss or spending money on shopping, gambling, or gambling online.
Read Also: What Are The 12 Steps Of Addiction Recovery
How To Beat Internet Addiction: 5 Tactics To Help You
So after read this, youre now aware of the effect that Internet addiction is having on you or will eventually have on you.. Its stealing your time, stealing your energy, and stealing your focus. You now want to stop.
These tactics will help you get started, but the real work begins after you read this. Its up to you to change your habit patterns and eventually substitute healthier ways of being in place of your Internet addiction.
Insight Oriented Internet Addiction Treatment
The second phase of internet addiction treatment generally involves building insight as to why the internet addiction developed in the first place. Along with the guidance of a qualified therapist, a patient can see what frustrations, anxieties, or fears they had which led them down the path to need internet addiction treatment.
Replacement activities are found for the patient that can replace the internet addiction. If you think about internet addiction in terms of a coping skill, generally the patient will see that they were overusing or misusing the internet to cope with something in their life such as stress or anxiety.
Depression is another reason why people fall into internet overuse habits and need internet addiction treatment. While using the internet or playing video games might make them feel good in the moment, ultimately, continuing this behavior prolongs the depression and takes them further away from the solution.
Read Also: Why Is Alcohol So Addictive
Internet Addiction: Causes Effects And Treatments
Internet addiction disorder is a type of behavioral addiction that involves compulsive Internet use. People with an Internet addiction may have underlying mental health or substance use issues that may require specialized addiction treatment.
According to the Pew Research Center, 93 percent of adults in the United States use the Internet. Among teenagers, Internet use is likely even higher.
Internet use has become what some might call a necessity in daily life. For some people, however, Internet useincluding social media and online gamingcan become a compulsive and even addictive habit.
While not officially recognized as a disorder in the United States, compulsive Internet use is believed to be fairly common, affecting an estimated 1.5 to 8.2 percent of people in North America.
Finding Treatment For Internet Addiction
If you or a loved one is struggling with compulsive Internet use, one of our addiction resource specialists may be able to help.
- identify appropriate treatment options
- verify your insurance
- find a treatment program that meets your needs
Call us today to find treatment for internet addiction, including dual diagnosis rehab and mental health treatment options.
Written by the Addiction Resource Editorial Staff
Addiction Resource aims to provide only the most current, accurate information in regards to addiction and addiction treatment, which means we only reference the most credible sources available.
These include peer-reviewed journals, government entities and academic institutions, and leaders in addiction healthcare and advocacy. Learn more about how we safeguard our content by viewing our editorial policy.
- American Psychiatric Association New Research Press Briefing: Internet Addiction: Review of Neuroimaging Studies
Read Also: How To Know If You Are Addicted To Alcohol
Internet Addiction Treatment: A History
Internet addiction first became the subject of research and controversy in the mid-1990s when video games became more sophisticated and video game companies sought to create products that made gamers play for longer and longer periods of time.
The need for internet addiction treatment can come from a variety of causes and potential factors. Researchers have compared internet addiction to gambling, compulsive buying, and other experiences where a high is felt that does not involve substances. It is also possible that there is a genetic component that makes someone more prone to problematic internet use and to seek out internet addiction treatment.
There may also be society and family factors as a person might be more prone to escape negative situations of everyday life due to their current environment. People that need internet addiction treatment use the internet frequently and develop their internet usage as a coping skill to deal with negative feelings they may be experiencing. A patient who enters treatment likely has come to depend on the internet to make them feel normal.
Causes Of Internet Addiction
Much like other behavioral disorders and mental illnesses, online addiction does not have a single clear cause.
Mental illness may make internet addiction more likely to occur. Teens who are coping with illnesses including depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder may be more likely to seek refuge in the online world.
Other teens might find themselves addicted to specific online games for instance, World of Warcraft because the game environment itself encourages regular participation, punishes absence and has no set end point.
Scientists are still researching internet addiction in-depth and will likely identify more causes and correlates as time goes on.
You May Like: How To Stop An Addiction By Yourself
