Internet use disorder - is the definition too narrow?
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Internet use disorder - is the definition too narrow?
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We've had a discussion on how to define internet addiciton in the past but I was interested to read the APA are looking at Internet use disorder for possible inclusion in the new DSM-5 However, its de
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Forums » Open clinical » Psychiatry » Internet use disorder - is the definition too narrow?
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Internet use disorder - is the definition too narrow?
posted at 16/8/2012 3:08 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1444
First: 7/4/2011 Last: 21/5/2013 |
We've had a discussion on how to define internet addiciton in the past but I was interested to read the APA are looking at Internet use disorder for possible inclusion in the new DSM-5 However, its description seems to largely centre on gaming addiction, more than say addiction of using Facebook or other social media (maybe even doc2doc?) http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=573 Addiction to gaming is a problem but is it only a small part of a wider problem? Or should we just accept that we now live our lives online and we shouldn't demonise internet use because it is simply a case of where we spend our time to learn, socialise and shop has converged somewhat. Is the APA's consideration of excessive internet use too narrow or should it just be renamed to 'internet gaming use disorder'? |
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Re: Internet use disorder - is the definition too narrow?
posted at 16/8/2012 3:32 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1266
First: 13/4/2010 Last: 21/5/2013 |
This strikes me as verging on the completely silly. When does someone doing a lot of something define them as "addicted"? I read a lot - several hours a day sometimes but certainly something every day. Am I addicted to reading? What about the teenager who spends hours every day locked in their bedroom trying to master the guitar. Are they addicted to guitar practice? Is the APA addicted to classifying normality as pathology?! We should be told! |
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Re: Internet use disorder - is the definition too narrow?
posted at 16/8/2012 11:05 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 3045
First: 27/3/2012 Last: 20/5/2013 |
It is a fact that the wide use of internet especially by younger & adolescents is responsible for what is known as 'Internet addiction' Many reports indicated that some on-line users were becoming addicted to the Internet in much the same way that others became addicted to drugs or alcohol, which resulted in academic, social, and occupational impairment. However, research among sociologists, psychologists, or psychiatrists has not formally identified addictive use of the Internet as a problematic behavior. This study investigated the existence of Internet addiction and the extent of problems caused by such potential misuse. Of all the diagnoses referenced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1995), Pathological Gambling was viewed as most akin to the pathological nature of Internet use. By using Pathological Gambling as a model, addictive Internet use can be defined as an impulse-control disorder that does not involve an intoxicant. |
Forums » Open clinical » Psychiatry » Internet use disorder - is the definition too narrow?
