Internet addiction is a "clinical disorder", says The Daily Telegraph today. The newspaper quotes a leading psychiatrist who suggests that 'obsessive internet use is a public health problem, which is so serious it should be officially recognised as a clinical disorder'.
The editorial which sparked this news story is a one-page opinion piece which responds to a call for work exploring the criteria for the diagnosis of psychiatric conditions. Any suggestions were to be considered by the American Psychiatric Association for inclusion in an update to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Health Disorders, currently known as DSM-IV.
This editorial has effectively put the case for more research into internet addiction. For any emerging clinical or policy issue, getting agreement from experts on accurate and consistent diagnostic criteria is an important first step, and this editorial will be a component of that process. It is not clear from this paper what the extent of the problem is in the UK.
Where did the story come from?
Dr Jerald J Block, from Portland, Oregon, wrote this editorial. No external funding is acknowledged. The author has declared that he owns a patent on technology that can be used to restrict computer access. The editorial was published following a review by Dr Robert Freedman, the editor of the medical journal American Journal of Psychiatry.
What kind of scientific study was this?
In this independent editorial, the author makes the case for including internet addiction as a common disorder in the next update of the DSM (DSM-V).
Dr Block argues that internet addiction should be included conceptually in the group of disorders known as compulsive impulsive spectrum disorders, and that the definition should include online or offline computer usage, with recognition of at least three subtypes. The subtypes are: excessive gaming, sexual preoccupations and e-mail/text messaging.
