Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Internet addiction becoming international problem, doctors say
By Kevin Jeannette
The Daily Athenaeum (West Virginia U.)
03/16/2007

(U-WIRE) MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Internet has become such a staple of everyday life that even fast food restaurants now offer wireless access.

In fact, it's so prevalent that there are those that have become addicted to it. Internet Addiction Disorder is as real as alcoholism or compulsive gambling, according to Kimberly Young, professor of management sciences at St. Bonaventure University.

The Chinese government believes it has found a way to treat Internet addiction: boot camp.

In 2004, China opened the Internet Addiction Treatment Center in Daxing. The military-like boot camp is designed to help millions of youths battling Internet addiction, according to CNN.com.

Run by an army colonel, IATC uses a mixture of therapy and military drills with the aim of treating youths with online gaming, Internet pornography, cybersex and chat addictions.

The therapy, which includes simulating war games with laser guns, has treated 1,500 patients since its inception and boasts a 70 percent success rate in breaking the addiction.

The Chinese government even went so far as to ban new Internet cafes in 2007 because they are viewed as a breeding ground for social delinquency, according to CNN.com.

A 2006 study conducted by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine found that one in eight U.S. residents show at least one sign of "problematic Internet use."

"In a sense they're using the Internet to self-medicate and obviously something is wrong when people go out of their way to hide their Internet activity," Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

According to preliminary research, the typical Internet addict is a single, college-educated, white male in his 30s, who spends about 30 hours a week on non-essential computer use.

Some signs of possible Internet abuse include accessing the Internet more often or for longer periods of time than was intended, frequent talks about the Internet in daily life, and giving up or reducing the duration and/or frequency of important family, social, occupational or recreational activities.

"Anything that can destroy your work relationships, personal relationships or any part of your daily life could be considered an addiction," said Travis Kline, director of programs and services for Job Squad Inc., who graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in psychology.

The Center for Online Addiction, founded by Young, provides affordable online or telephone counseling for those who think they may have a problem.

The center uses a treatment model similar to eating disorders or controlled drinking problems and identifies triggers which onset binge-behavior.

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