Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) was originally proposed as a disorder by Ivan Goldberg, M.D., in 1995. He took pathological gambling as diagnosed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as his model for the description of IAD. It is not however included in the current DSM as of 2009, but will be reviewed for the next edition in 2013. Supporters of disorder classification often divide IAD into subtypes by activity, such as excessive, overwhelming, inappropriate pornography use, gaming, online social networking, blogging, email, or Internet shopping.
As the leader in Internet use globally, South Korea has also congruously had the most suspected cases of IAD, with a third of internet users now thought to be 'at risk' of addiction. In response to the perceived gravity of the problem, the first government funded organisation - the Centre for Internet Addiction Prevention and Counselling - began operation in 2002. With no formal definition with which to diagnose, the country has set up research units in several universities, and currently treats internet addiction as a compulsive disorder like pathological gambling or eating disorder.
Symptoms and effects include:
- The inability to perform normal tasks in everyday life;
- Losing control over emotional responses;
- Feeling nervous and anxious when not online;
- Excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time or a neglect of basic drives;
- Withdrawal, including feelings of anger, tension and/or depression when the computer is inaccessible;
- Negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, poor achievement;
- Social isolation;
- Extreme Fatigue;
- Impaired vision.
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| The newly dominating Gaming industry is strongly linked with cases of IAD |
“41% of self-selected online gamers play video games ‘to escape’.” -Source: Hussain et al., 2009
The government estimates that around 210,000 South Korean children are affected and in need of treatment, of whom 80 per cent might need drugs targeting the brain and nearly a quarter could need to go to hospital. Since the average high school pupil there spends about 23 hours per week gaming, Block notes, another 1.2 million are believed to be at risk of addiction and require basic counselling. There has been alarm over a rising number of addicts dropping out of school or quitting their jobs to spend more time on computers.
Centres specialising in Internet Addiction treatment have begun to emerge all over the world, with clinics opening in the USA and UK in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Despite still not being formally recognised as a disorder, both countries Governments have also published literature on the subject.
“You substitute the real world for this world... For two years I’ve played 12 hours a day. It was fun while I was playing but when you think of the derogatory effect it has on your life it’s not good... I would never inflect this game on anyone. It’s like a disease.”
-Liam. Suspected gaming addict. Featured on Panorama: ‘Addicted to Games?’