Internet addiction...

Ficheall

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16505521

Web addicts have brain changes similar to those hooked on drugs or alcohol, preliminary research suggests.
Experts in China scanned the brains of 17 young web addicts and found disruption in the way their brains were wired up.
They say the discovery, published in Plos One, could lead to new treatments for addictive behaviour.
Internet addiction is a clinical disorder marked by out-of-control internet use.
A research team led by Hao Lei of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan carried out brain scans of 35 men and women aged between 14 and 21.
Seventeen of them were classed as having internet addiction disorder (IAD) on the basis of answering yes to questions such as, "Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop Internet use?"
Specialised MRI brain scans showed changes in the white matter of the brain - the part that contains nerve fibres - in those classed as being web addicts, compared with non-addicts.


There was evidence of disruption to connections in nerve fibres linking brain areas involved in emotions, decision making, and self-control.
Dr Hao Lei and colleagues write in Plos One: "Overall, our findings indicate that IAD has abnormal white matter integrity in brain regions involving emotional generation and processing, executive attention, decision making and cognitive control.
"The results also suggest that IAD may share psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of substance addiction and impulse control disorders."
Prof Gunter Schumann, chair in biological psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College, London, said similar findings have been found in video game addicts.
He told the BBC: "For the first time two studies show changes in the neuronal connections between brain areas as well as changes in brain function in people who are frequently using the internet or video games."
Commenting on the Chinese study, Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, consultant psychiatrist and honorary senior lecturer at Imperial College London, said the research was "groundbreaking".
She added: "We are finally being told what clinicians suspected for some time now, that white matter abnormalities in the orbito-frontal cortex and other truly significant brain areas are present not only in addictions where substances are involved but also in behavioural ones such as internet addiction."
She said further studies with larger numbers of subjects were needed to confirm the findings.



Diagnostic criteria for internet addiction

• Do you feel preoccupied with the internet?
• Do you feel the need to use the internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction?
• Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop internet use?
• Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop internet use?
• Do you stay online longer than intended?
• Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the internet?
• Have you lied to family members, a therapist or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the internet?
• Do you use the internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a distressed mood (eg feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety and depression)?

Participants answering yes to questions 1 to 5 and at least one more answer were classed as suffering from Internet Addiction Disorder

So... are you addicted to the internet?

chin_grin

Ficheall wrote: »

So... are you addicted to the internet?

I like to think it's addicted to me.

JONJO THE MISER

Im addicted to a few things, but have never thought i might be addicted to the Internet:eek:

FatherLen

I didnt read any of that but no I don't think I am

Richie90

Not addicted. Would take a while to get used to not having it but I think I'd be ok

promethius42

A lot of the work I do revolves around the internet and contributes to it so it more like a mutually beneficial partnership between host and parasite

o1s1n

The internet is just a vessel to carry different media and information.

If you are spending all your time on facebook, you are addicted to facebook.

If you are spending all your time looking at online porn, you probably have a porn addiction.

Same with gaming.

'Internet addiction' is a bit too vague.

Maybe I have an addition to using DSL modems?

Chuck Stone

I am addicted to using the internet.

I went on a stag weekend and was furious that there was no WIFI in my hotel room.

So angry in fact that I almost complained about it.

Professey Chin

I like to think of it as a symbiotic relationship.....

Nyan Cat

i spend plenty of time online doing different things. i do things offline when it needs doing or go out when i fancy it. and have spent weeks away from computers. im a bit addicted to being connected to games, email, facebook, boards, pinterest and what have you. but not addicted to any one single aspect.

people spend hours watching tv and others barely bat an eyelid.

fedor.2.

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I am addicted to using the internet.

I went on a stag weekend and was furious that there was no WIFI in my hotel room.

So angry in fact that I almost complained about it.

ok we get it

Killer Pigeon

I'm not addicted ... I'm not addicted I tell you ... not addicted!!!

smash

Can you summarise that for me?

Conor108

Pretty sure I am. That's why I decided to give it up last month. Going alright so far.

no1beemerfan

Only while at work :pac:

Nyan Cat

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I am addicted to using the internet.

I went on a stag weekend and was furious that there was no WIFI in my hotel room.

So angry in fact that I almost complained about it.

i do appreciate a bit of wifi for the ol' phone. check my farm, virtual pets, aquarium email etc at bed time - after the drink etx (unless im comatose)

o1s1n

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I am addicted to using the internet.

I went on a stag weekend and was furious that there was no WIFI in my hotel room.

So angry in fact that I almost complained about it.

Did you roam the streets with your laptop, trying to find a wireless hotspot?
Only to find some shady character, offering you WIFI for some 'favours'?
Did you agree to such 'favours'?
Do you now have chlamydia?

If you answered no to the above, you aren't really addicted.

StephenHendry

i use the internet a lot during the day, im glad i don't have a pc a home otherwise i would be on it too long

chin_grin

smash wrote: »

Can you summarise that for me?

Read the bolded bits.

Web addicts have brain changes similar to those hooked on drugs or alcohol, preliminary research suggests.

Experts in China scanned the brains of 17 young web addicts and found disruption in the way their brains were wired up.
They say the discovery, published in Plos One, could lead to new treatments for addictive behaviour.
Internet addiction is a clinical disorder marked by out-of-control internet use.
A research team led by Hao Lei of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan carried out brain scans of 35 men and women aged between 14 and 21.
Seventeen of them were classed as having internet addiction disorder (IAD) on the basis of answering yes to questions such as, "Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop Internet use?"
Specialised MRI brain scans showed changes in the white matter of the brain - the part that contains nerve fibres - in those classed as being web addicts, compared with non-addicts.


There was evidence of disruption to connections in nerve fibres linking brain areas involved in emotions, decision making, and self-control.
Dr Hao Lei and colleagues write in Plos One: "Overall, our findings indicate that IAD has abnormal white matter integrity in brain regions involving emotional generation and processing, executive attention, decision making and cognitive control.
"The results also suggest that IAD may share psychological and neural mechanisms with other types of substance addiction and impulse control disorders."
Prof Gunter Schumann, chair in biological psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College, London, said similar findings have been found in video game addicts. (here we go!)
He told the BBC: "For the first time two studies show changes in the neuronal connections between brain areas as well as changes in brain function in people who are frequently using the internet or video games."
Commenting on the Chinese study, Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, consultant psychiatrist and honorary senior lecturer at Imperial College London, said the research was "groundbreaking".
She added: "We are finally being told what clinicians suspected for some time now, that white matter abnormalities in the orbito-frontal cortex and other truly significant brain areas are present not only in addictions where substances are involved but also in behavioural ones such as internet addiction."
She said further studies with larger numbers of subjects were needed to confirm the findings. (Yeah, cos it's bullsh!t without proper testing).



Diagnostic criteria for internet addiction

Do you feel preoccupied with the internet?
Do you feel the need to use the internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction?
Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop internet use?
Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop internet use?
Do you stay online longer than intended?
Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the internet?
Have you lied to family members, a therapist or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the internet?
Do you use the internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a distressed mood (eg feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety and depression)?

Participants answering yes to questions 1 to 5 and at least one more answer were classed as suffering from Internet Addiction Disorder

ringadingding

I'm totally addicted, its all or nothing with me.

It's nearly impossible for me to live without it totally and I find myself wasting my spare time, on the other hand , I've stopped going to the pub much much less.
I've perma deleted my Facebook, that's helped a bit

harvester of sorrow

Hi my name is harvester of sorrow,and im an internet addict............

smash

Experts in China should shut up and get a ride!

Chuck Stone

fedor.2. wrote: »

ok we get it

Who's we? And what is it?

Stop talking bollocks.

Captain Darling

Its just all that sexy granny porn. I cant stop looking at it.

_feedback_

FatherLen wrote: »

I didnt read any of that but no I don't think I am

Richie90 wrote: »

Not addicted. Would take a while to get used to not having it but I think I'd be ok

Nyan Cat wrote: »

i spend plenty of time online doing different things. i do things offline when it needs doing or go out when i fancy it. and have spent weeks away from computers. im a bit addicted to being connected to games, email, facebook, boards, pinterest and what have you. but not addicted to any one single aspect.

people spend hours watching tv and others barely bat an eyelid.

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

I'm not addicted ... I'm not addicted I tell you ... not addicted!!!

You know what they say the first sign of addiction is :pac:



Joking aside, there's a good thread on the subject here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=71464090

Dotrel

Imagine how addicted kids in China would be if they could also use all the blocked sites!

chin_grin

Dotrel wrote: »

Imagine how addicted kids in China would be if they could also use all the blocked sites!

They'd be like this -> :eek:

Nyan Cat

elviscostello wrote: »

You know what they say the first sign of addiction is :pac:

catch 22 that one!
(in denial)

John Doe1

symptom: staying up to 4 on a college day to check if someone commented on your hilarious comment on boards.

not me of course:o

AngryPensioner

Psychiatrists invent illness to sell drugs. Shocker:rolleyes:

maxfresh

ye pretty much addicted boards.ie dosn't help :pac:

saa

No its habitual but excessive. I'm bad at limiting my time but if I went away for two weeks I wouldn't be cracking up, Its not my only coping mechanism.

I think it can be an addiction but very rarely I do believe it is from a disordered lifestyle to a symptom of something else, The idea of an internet addiction is more like an issue with withdrawing from the real world or at least a slightly different idea of addiction from the conventional ones more that have a very limited notion of a substance.

saa

No its habitual but excessive. I'm bad at limiting my time but if I went away for two weeks I wouldn't be cracking up, Its not my only coping mechanism.

I think it can be an addiction but very rarely I do believe it is from a disordered lifestyle to a symptom of something else, The idea of an internet addiction is more like an issue with withdrawing from the real world or at least a slightly different idea of addiction from the conventional ones more that have a very limited notion of a substance.

Standard Toaster

No, I'm on patches right now and no longer consider myself an addict.

chin_grin

Standard Toaster wrote: »

No, I'm on patches right now and no longer consider myself an addict.

No no no, put them down. They're patch leads!

GLaDOS

If I've nothing else to do I'll often sit online all day. But I'd never pick browsing online over going out with friends or anything.

ScumLord

I work online to a certain extent, I watch all my media online, I buy things online. How can a necessity like the internet be an addiction if you really have no other choice but to use the internet? It's like accusing somebody of being addicted to using roads.

ejmaztec

It's more undying love than addiction. The internet's my BFF after all.

Killer Pigeon

In all seriousness though. The only time I go on here is when I have feck all else to do. Like right now. I only ever go onto youtube, boards.ie or some news website (guardian, telegraph, reuters, etc..), if I haven't proper stuff to do on the internet like look up stuff for college, etc.. I don't even have facebook. If I didn't have the internet I'd probably just be reading something or watching TV in my spare time.

The only time I need the internet, is for e-mail, college stuff (they put our lecture notes online, etc.), bank stuff (even though I could do the same physically in a bank), booking something (flights, accom) or finding out how to get somewhere. That's all.

I've spent about 2-3 hours on this today already, so I better shut it down soon before I start to go crazy thinking I have an addiction, lol.

Azureus

The internets a neccesity in work, and I use it when Im bored/for college work (accessing notes etc) but Im not remotely addicted, despite being online for large chunks of my day. In fact, when I go home and turn off my computer and my phone I feel infinately better. Same as when I go on holidays and dont access the outside world for two weeks-fantastic

Sindri

This generation are displaying signs of narcissistic tendencies and a difficulty with delayed gratification because of the internet.

Fulton Crown

ScumLord wrote: »

I work online to a certain extent, I watch all my media online, I buy things online. How can a necessity like the internet be an addiction if you really have no other choice but to use the internet? It's like accusing somebody of being addicted to using roads.

Was ALL that information really necessary ?

You are also completely wrong by the way.......

DublinWriter

Yeah...but I could give it up tomorrow, just like that *click*

ICANN

I didn't have home internet (ie constant access) or a laptop until about two and a half years ago and I'm increasingly dependent on it! I'm definitely going to cut back to about an hour a day because truth be told I don't do much on it except browse around a few sites and I stream Irish radio while I'm here in the UK as I hate English radio!!

I'm glad that I had more or less an internet-free childhood and that my childhood wasn't wasted in front of a computer screen like some of my young cousins!!!

ScumLord

Fulton Crown wrote: »

Was ALL that information really necessary ?

You are also completely wrong by the way.......

How can I be wrong, do you mean I don't work online or watch media online? Or that the modern world would work just fine without the internet it's not at all essential?

Captain McDuck

Im addicted to your Ma

Princess Peach

I used to have it really bad. I suffer from depression and when I'm feeling down I can't really get out of bed or have the motivation to do productive things so I would just piss about online all day. I sometimes suffer from insomnia too, would just be online all night. Boards was "good" for me in that it was a way of talking to people, but people I didn't know and so I would share personal things I was afraid to talk about with people I know.

Been much better lately! I'm still online a good bit but I can now do other things I couldn't before. May not seem like a big deal, but being able to hold my concentration long enough to watch a film is good for me I'm out a lot more and even when I'm at home I often turn off the laptop and do something else.

Using it all day in work isn't an addiction. Its when you avoid doing anything else because internet is just easier and more comforting.

Temptamperu

yup im an addict and very proud of that