Addiction generally means severe obsession about something. It makes someone physically or psychologically enslaved to something. Fanatical use of internet has become a health problem nowadays. Internet addiction makes you dependent on it. It will hamper your daily life as you will spend most of your time online. Internet addiction has not yet been recognized as a clinical disorder in many countries. However, in 2008 China recognized internet addiction as a disorder. It is drawing the attention of everyone, as more and more addicts are being identified each day.
Cause:
In the present era, each and everyone is highly reliant on internet for every single chore, beginning from communication to shopping, paying bills to watching movies. At first it was used for the necessary purposes but gradually other entertainment features are introduced, like chatting, social networking sites, dating sites, blogs etc. So eventually people have started to use them and have become dependent on these things. Some have got so obsessed that, they are spending the major portion of their daily life on internet. It has become so extreme that their social lives are also being affected because of this addiction.
The exact reasons or causes of this addiction are still unknown. But there are different opinion regarding this addiction. Like some psychiatrists consider it as a medium of other addiction like- gambling or sex. Another group thinks that people become addicted because they feel an urge for going online, similar to the other addictions. There may be different reasons behind this extreme rush. Studies have shown that socially isolated people are mostly susceptible to get addicted to chatting. So, that makes them more prone to internet addiction.
Identification:
There are some symptoms of Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) which include the followings:
-Preoccupation with the internet, (thinking about the last online session or planning the next online session).
- Becoming unsuccessful to control, reduce or stop internet use.
- Having restless feeling when unable to use internet.
- Endangering the other duties like social activities, studies because of Internet use.
- Lying in order to spend time online.
It has become so acute that some countries have taken measures to control this addiction disorder. After the suicide of a student due to Internet abuse, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai had taken a measure to cut off the use of internet in the school dorms. In china and South Korea, treatment for the victims of this addiction disorder is carried out at government-sponsored boot camps.
The first and most crucial step in preventing this disorder is realizing the problem. You can even get the counseling in internet. There are many internet addiction support groups that offer peer-to-peer psychotherapy for the addicts. After identifying the disorder, consult with a counselor, even if there are not too many specialized clinic available in treating this disorder. Try to recognize the severity and pattern of the disorder and then take some initiative to abduct your dependence on internet. For those, who are not yet facing the addiction disorder, take some prior measure, like try not to spend too much time online unless it is really necessary.
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