Is Internet Overuse Really and Addiction or Just a Mere Psychological Disorder?

Even if experts have repeatedly warned about the fact that Internet may create a strong addiction, as there is a great deal of people whose personal or professional lives have been ruined by too much time spent online, it seems that there is still debate on whether excess Internet involvement should be categorized as a real addiction or simply as a psychological disorder. The Washington Post reported recently that experts are still discussing the problem and do not agree on how to categorize Internet excessive use - as an 'addiction' or as a 'psychological disorder'?

A study carried out in October by researchers at the Stanford University found that rates of Internet addiction are on continual rise and continue to disrupt lives of millions of people worldwide. There is an extremely large number of individuals whose whole lives have come to depend on being online and 'clicking'.

Also, there are married couples who break the relationship due to the fact that the husband or wife spends too much time on the Internet, there are people who lose their jobs because they spend too much time surfing the wwws or chatting online. Even if the Internet has many benefits and positive aspects, people around the world should not forget about the fact that they live in a real world, with real people and responsibilities, not in the virtual world.

However, there is still a difficult question to be answered, namely whether the Internet abuse is really an addiction, such as alcohol or smoking addiction or it is just a symptom of a more 'common', traditional type of disorder. One way or the other, medical experts warn that Internet addicts should receive special attention and treatment, which involve psychotherapy and methods to limit the time patients spend online.

Responding to the debate, members of the American Psychiatric Association stated that Internet overuse should be seen as an addiction and treated as such. They also mentioned that excess Internet involvement should be included in the Association's next guidebook as an addiction. On the other hand, most psychologists and psychiatrists argue that this is a mere psychological disorder, as a true addiction is a "compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-forming substance," according to Merriam - Webster's medical dictionary:

Ivan Goldberg, a New York psychiatrist stated: "There's no question that there are people who are seriously in trouble because of the fact that they're overdoing their Internet involvement." Also, Jonathan Bishop, a Wales researcher pointed out the fact that "the Internet is an environment. You can't be addicted to the environment."