The Internet addiction or Internet addiction is a modern phenomenon that has only been known for a few years: the person concerned cannot stop looking for information from the Internet or being in contact with other people in virtual space. The disease is always curable and, with a few exceptions, internet addiction is not associated with complications.
What is internet addiction?
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The Internet addiction is basically a mental illness. As the name already makes clear, internet addiction is a disordered behavior - namely when using the internet.
As with all other addictions and compulsions, those affected by internet addiction also have the feeling that they cannot exist without being connected to the online world. As if externally controlled, it opens the virtual room in the morning and only leaves it in the evening - sometimes even after a few days.
Internet addiction therefore usually prevents the sick person from a regular professional activity and a normal social life. In a few cases, however, internet addiction can be detrimental to health.
causes
The Internet addiction usually begins where it is part of daily work or leisure to look for information online or to play. Often a certain habit grows out of it, without which the person afflicted by Internet addiction does not feel comfortable.
With this, however, the onset of the disease is imperceptibly managed. Internet addiction is therefore a psychological ailment that affects people who are usually mentally unstable anyway or who cannot otherwise channel the excess of information.
Internet addiction is therefore not based on previous illnesses or similar cases in the family environment. Nor is it dependent on the season. Internet addiction can only be positively or negatively influenced by traffic on the Internet.
Furthermore, online role-playing games, so-called MMORPG - massively multiplayer online role-playing game, such as World of Warcraft or Guildwars, create an extremely high risk of addiction to their players. In these games, the player always has the feeling of having to move up in order to be better than the others. Most of these games do not have a classic end to the game, but offer an almost infinite number of opportunities to further develop your game character. A dependency can also arise here, as friends of those affected often play along and they do not want to break a certain social bond.
Symptoms, ailments & signs
The boundaries between normal use of the Internet and addiction are fluid and not always easy to determine. Internet addiction must be assumed if the person concerned constantly feels the compulsion to go online and spends more and more time on it. Other areas of life are increasingly being neglected, which has an impact on academic and professional performance, but also on private life.
Internet addicts isolate themselves from friends and family and focus entirely on virtual friendships, which are given an unrealistically high priority. Excessive Internet use impairs cognitive abilities, which can be noticeable in concentration disorders, memory disorders and attention deficits. If those affected have no way of pursuing their addiction, they suffer from withdrawal symptoms, which can range from listlessness and irritability to restlessness and aggression.
Physical complaints in connection with the time-consuming use of the Internet also indicate addictive behavior: Neck and headaches as well as joint pain often occur, and visual disturbances are also possible. If food intake is neglected, body weight can drop sharply; on the other hand, excessive consumption of fast food or sweets in combination with a lack of exercise often leads to obesity. Difficulty concentrating or poor circulation often indicate dehydration due to insufficient fluid intake or lack of sleep due to internet addiction.
Diagnosis & course
Often the Internet addiction creeping. The usual use of online activities turns into compulsive behavior. In Internet addiction, the once important information is increasingly accompanied by a pointless pastime.
Social contacts break away sooner or later. The content of life of those affected by Internet addiction takes place on virtual platforms. Friends - mostly not present in real life - are contacted here. Here, too, it is not uncommon for users who have fallen prey to Internet addiction.
The more pronounced the disease, the more it is influenced by concomitant addictions such as alcohol or drug consumption. Internet addiction, which mainly takes place in the proverbial quiet little room, is usually noticed very late by family members or acquaintances.
Complications
Internet addicts often withdraw. Friends and family take a back seat - the time gained is sacrificed for addiction. Internet addiction can also lead to complications in the workplace. If the person concerned surfs privately even during working hours, he is threatened with consequences. Yet many addicts fail to refrain from behaving unaided.
In addition to internet addiction, there may be other substance-independent or substance-related addictions. Internet addiction often occurs, for example, in combination with gambling addiction (computer games, Playstation). Other psychological disorders can develop as a complication. For example, internet addicts can be depressed at the same time.
Such complications favor social withdrawal. Neglecting hygiene and diet is also more likely if other complications are already present. Internet addicts can also be suicidal. During therapy or during their own attempts, there is a risk that the person concerned will not overcome the Internet addiction, but only replace an addiction with another one.
The alternative dependency can relate to a different medium (e.g. television) or to a completely different object (e.g. alcohol).The addict should be aware of this risk so that he can avoid it. As a rule, a psychotherapist also ensures that the client does not just shift their addiction problem.
When should you go to the doctor?
Internet addiction is an under-explored medical area. Therefore, there are still no clear guidelines as to when an affected person needs medical help. Although the Internet determines everyday life, there are problems that should be discussed with a doctor. If there is a neglect of professional and school duties or personal hygiene, there is a need for action. If those affected forget to eat or if they consume an unusually large amount of food, a doctor should be consulted. In the event of an over- or under-supply of the organism, a control of the vital functions is advisable. If the person concerned appears permanently absent, if there is a lack of interest in all other areas of life or if withdrawal symptoms appear, if the Internet cannot be used for a few hours, a doctor should be consulted.
If you are restless, nervous, irritable or have trouble sleeping, you should see a doctor. If there is a strong change in personality and hysterical attacks as soon as the Internet fails or is slowed down, the person concerned needs help. In the event of withdrawal behavior or the complete loss of worldly leisure activities, a doctor should be consulted. Medical help is required in the event of a pathological use of games of chance or cybersex offered on the Internet.
Treatment & Therapy
Since the Internet addiction If it is a matter of a mental illness, the suffering can only be permanently remedied by a therapist. This usually takes place in outpatient discussions, where internet addiction is investigated more precisely. Because it is not uncommon for other fears, desires or emotional sufferings to be involved.
In more severe cases, Internet addiction is treated with medication. This is often the case in situations in which the person concerned can no longer influence their compulsive behavior in any way. If the internet addiction is so pronounced that the patient no longer sees a way out and takes refuge in alcohol, drugs or suicidal fantasies, an inpatient stay can also be considered.
In all of this, it is important to literally bring the sufferer back into the real world and to make the illusion of virtual space clear to them. He has to accept the happy and sad emotions of his life. It is therefore a treatable disease that often shows significant improvements after a few months. Internet addiction is thus curable.
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➔ Medicines to calm down and strengthen nervesOutlook & forecast
The prognosis of internet addiction is to be assessed according to the individual circumstances. Basically, according to the current health regulations, there is no condition that can be diagnosed as internet addiction. Although Internet addiction seems to be clear in popular parlance, no fixed criteria have yet been defined for this form of addiction. For this reason, it is difficult to make a forecast.
In most cases, there are other complaints that paint an overall picture of the patient's state of health. This means that a different mental illness is diagnosed in a large number of patients and treated with priority. Internet addiction is an accompanying symptom and is classified accordingly.
With an insight into the disease and the cooperation of the person concerned, the constant use of the Internet can be treated well in behavior therapy. In a fixed therapy plan, changes for an everyday structure are worked out and rules for a healthy use of the Internet are learned.
With the importance of an online service today, a permanent and complete waiver of the use of the Internet can only rarely be implemented. For professional reasons, there is often no such development. The practice is used temporarily so that the focus can be directed to other areas of life. Subsequently, a harmonious use of the Internet is trained, which is usually successful.
prevention
Of the Internet addiction can only be prevented through controlled use. Parents in particular should take care of their children so that the initially low level of internet addiction does not develop. For everyone else, only self-discipline can be a key to escaping the disease. If you leave your computer switched off frequently, you cannot be affected by Internet addiction.
Aftercare
As with other addictions, optimal follow-up care is also important for Internet addiction in order to minimize the risk of a relapse as well as possible. This is particularly important in the age of multimedia, as the global web is present almost everywhere. Those affected are constantly confronted with the Internet as a medium, even in the follow-up phase.
The handling of this is discussed with the therapist on a case-by-case basis. Nevertheless, it is usually about not completely ignoring the Internet, but rather enduring the confrontation and gradually learning how to use it consciously again.
Follow-up care can, for example, consist of only allowing internet use for a very limited time during the day and excluding certain sites such as casinos or gaming. Most of those affected also have to learn how to spend their leisure time in a meaningful way and can be meaningfully integrated into individual aftercare.
Engaging in hobbies such as sports or music are examples of this, as is re-establishing old friendships that may have been neglected by Internet addiction. Self-help groups for Internet addiction often offer valuable help by exchanging experiences with like-minded people and accompany the affected person on the way to follow-up care with constructive tips.
You can do that yourself
Addiction comes from searching. Something is missing in real life and is being sought in the virtual world. The internet in particular seems to have a solution for everything. When you are online longer than participating in daily life, it is time to ask yourself some questions. As a rule, it is a need that supposedly cannot be satisfied in the real world.
So the first step is to go through habits. Which pages am I on? Where does my gaze stop? Possibly also what am I compensating? This presupposes the admission that it is an addiction and the desire to bring it under control.
The second step is to think about the unmet needs. What do I long for? Why do I prefer to surf the net and not do other things? Who or what do I want to spend my time with? Why don't i do it
The third step is: exercise discipline, reduce the time on the Internet, even if it is difficult. In order to become aware of all of this, a therapist helps who gets to the bottom of the addiction with the right questions. The self-help measures mentioned create an overview of your own well-being if they are answered honestly.
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