There is ongoing debate among psychologists Le'Veon Bell Youth Jersey , counsellors, psychiatrists, and physicians about whether “Internet Addiction Disorder” should be considered a diagnosable mental health problem.
Organizations like the American Medical Association have, to date Antonio Brown Youth Jersey , rejected proposals to classify internet addiction as a mental disorder, Winnipeg Counsellor. This decision was largely based on insufficient research and scientific consensus on the addictive nature of the internet and certain online games.
Because it is not yet an officially recognized disorder, Internet Addition has found itself suffering from a bit of an identity crisis – sometimes being referred to as “excessive”, “problematic” Mason Rudolph Youth Jersey , or “unhealthy” computer use. The use of these terms obviously places the emphasis on the harmful behavior rather than diagnosing the individual himherself as addicted.
Internet Addiction: A “Catch-All” Term
Further complicating the issue is the fact that the term internet addiction is somewhat of a catch-all label for problems associated with excessive use of computers or technology. For example, the term has been use to describe compulsive online gambling, pornography use, texting James Washington Youth Jersey , chatting, social networking, web surfing, online shopping Chukwuma Okorafor Youth Jersey , and video gaming.
The Symptom of an Underlying Problem or the Cause?
Numerous theories have been proposed to help explain why certain individuals become addicted to the internet and why certain online activities may be more likely to encourage unhealthy patterns of use. For example, it has been suggested that some people may turn to the internet to avoid feelings of depression, loneliness, shyness Terrell Edmunds Youth Jersey , and anxiety. This of course assumes that online addiction is a symptom of an underlying problem rather than a problem in and of itself.
Others argue just the opposite – that internet and computer addiction can bring on mental health problems like depression and anxiety.