Internet addiction

Internet addiction disorder, more commonly called problematic Internet use (PIU), refers to excessive Internet use that interferes with daily life.

Addiction is defined by Webster Dictionary as a "compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly: persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful".

Problematic Internet use is also called compulsive Internet use (CIU),Internet overuse, problematic computer use, or pathological computer use (PCU), problematic Internet use (PIU), or Internet addiction disorder (IAD)). Another commonly associated pathology is video game addiction, or Internet gaming disorder (IGD).

IAD was originally proposed as a disorder in a satirical hoax by Ivan Goldberg, M.D., in 1995, although some later researchers have taken his essay seriously. He used this term because it was a suitable fit to his parody. This idea he conjured was to demonstrate the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders handbook's complexity and rigidity. Among the symptoms he included in this parody were "important social or occupational activities that are given up or reduced because of the internet use", "fantasies or dreams about the internet" and "voluntary or involuntary typing movements of the fingers".

Goldberg himself has redefined IAD as a "pathological Internet use disorder" (also known as PIU) to avoid what he started as a joke to be thought of as an officially diagnosed addiction, such as an addiction to heroin. Goldberg mentioned that to receive medical attention or support for every behavior by putting it in to psychiatric nomenclature is ridiculous. Goldberg added if every overdone behavior can be an addiction that would lead us to have support groups for individuals that consistently cough or are addicted to books.

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. IAD receives coverage in the press, and the possible future classification of it as a psychological disorder continues to be debated and researched in the psychiatric community. A systematic review of PIU literature identified the lack of standardization in the concept as a major impediment to advancing this area of study.

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