Internet Addiction: Clinical Disorder of the New Millenium

Addiction of any kind is traditionally associated with an uncontrollable urge, often accompanied by a loss of control, a preoccupation with use, and continued use despite problems the behavior causes. Internet addiction is a new clinical disorder that causes relational, occupational, and social problems. Addiction of the Internet can result in many harmful consequences. For example, a student who obsessively chats with friends at school takes away from valuable study time resulting in poor academic performance. Similar to an alcoholic who needs to consume greater levels of alcohol to achieve satisfaction, addicts routinely spend significant amounts of time online. In most cases of impulse-control disorder, an individual's compulsion is often associated with increasingly painful states of tension and agitation that is relieved through the completion of the act. For example, an alcoholic is driven to drink or an overeater is driven to binge on food during moments of tension. In each case, the compulsive behavior serves to reduce the underlying emotional tension and serves as a reward for future behavior. In the same manner, an Internet addict's use of the computer is less about using it as an information tool and more about finding a psychological escape to cope with life's problems.