Is Internet Addiction a Mental Health Disorder?
It's easy to lose a few hours a day to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or World of Warcraft. But do you think it's possible for a person become addicted to the internet?Signs seem to suggest it's possible. Recently, a residential treatment center for internet addiction opened in the Seattle area. The center says its the first in the US. And several countries-like China, South Korea and Taiwan, take internet addiction very seriously and already have these types of centers available.
However, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) does not currently consider internet addiction as a separate mental health disorder. And there is a debate on whether internet addiction should be listed as a separate illness in it's next edition of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders", due out in 2012.
Why is this important? Because, this manual plays a part in determining which mental illnesses get covered by insurance. Since internet addiction is not currently listed as a separate illness in the manual, treatment for internet addiction is generally not covered by insurance. The fee for the new treatment center is $14,000--a fee a lot of people may not be able to afford, even if they need the help.
Some experts say internet addiction is just a symptom of other mental illness, like depression and anxiety disorders.
What do you think? Does internet addiction exist? Should it be classified as a separate mental health illness? Share your thoughts.
Other Stories You Might Enjoy:
Should you use a Sick Day for Lack of Sleep?
How Many Work Days Have You Missed Due to Illness or Injury?
Labels: Internet Addiction, Joey, Mental Health
posted by Joey at
8:35 PM
Barbara O'Connell is a WhereToFindCare.com co-founder and blogs about navigating the healthcare system, how to find quality healthcare providers, how to improve healthcare and other musings from the healthcare world.
Dawn Hall is a WhereToFindCare.com co-founder and has over 16 years of experience in the health care industry improving processes and quality of the care throughout the delivery system.
Gregory Morad is WhereToFindCare.com's sales director and blogs about how you can use WhereToFindCare.com in your daily life.
Joey Granz is a WhereToFindCare.com co-founder, with 5 years experience as a healthcare worker in nursing homes. She blogs about current health care news.
1 Comments:
I do not understand the difference between the internet addiction and addictions to other things such as drug, tobacco, gambling, etc. It is hard to make a comment.
When you discuss about the internet addiction, do you have to point out what people are addicted to: porn, game, social network, etc.? It seems to me that internet is only the media where people develop addiction. In other words, people can be addicted to those things (e.g., games) without internet.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home