PEOPLE who send excessive texts and emails may have a mental illness, according to an article in a leading psychiatric journal.
<!-- // END article intro ************************************** --> <!-- // article corpus ************************************** --> As more people leave the office computer, only to log on as soon as they get home, the American Journal of Psychiatry has found addiction to text messaging and emailing could be another form of mental illness.
The article, by Dr Jerald Block, said there were four symptoms: suffering from feelings of withdrawal when a computer cannot be accessed; an increased need for better equipment; need for more time to use it; and experiencing the negative repercussions of their addiction.
Dr Block said that although text messaging was not directly linked to the Internet, it was a form of instant messaging and needed to be included among the criteria.
"The chief reasons I see to consider it are motor vehicle accidents that are caused by cell phone instant messaging, stalking and harassment via instant messaging, and instant messaging at social, educational, (and) work functions where it creates problems," he said.
"It should be a pervasive and problematic pattern, though, not isolated incidents."
Leanne Battaglia, 21, said she would not classify herself as being clinically addicted to online communication, but could see how quickly the problem could develop.
"It's become a way of life now, but I don't think it's at that stage yet," Ms Battaglia said.
Despite sitting at a computer all day, the sales consultant admits she will often log on again when she gets home.
"I use it almost every night and during the day. I'm pretty much always on Facebook, eBay, ninemsn and gossip sites."
Ms Battaglia also sends about 20 text messages a day.
"I swear by my mobile, it's like a security blanket. I just feel really bare without it," she said.
Dr Robert Kaplan, a forensic psychiatrist at the Graduate School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, said he first saw a case of internet addiction in 1998.
Since that time, he has noticed a steady increase in the disorder among Australians.
According to a report titled Media And Communications In Australian Families 2007, the average child spends about one hour and 17 minutes on the internet each day, with teenagers aged 15 to 17 spending an average of 30 minutes sending text messages and another 25 minutes playing online games.
"I think in general it's escalating," Dr Kaplan said. "We now all live in an internet world, and it brings with it a range of problems."
Internet addiction is something that has been studied for a while, as is text messaging. For many people they are addictions, but is an addiction a mental illness? I would argue not.
Sometimes I worry that far too many behaviours are becoming pathologised. Internet addiction, sex addiction and other similar addictions can obviously become real problems for people, however I don't automatically think labelling things is a helpful tool. e.g things such as Oppositional Defiant disorder which as far as I can see is just being an extremely troublesome teenager. And whilst such problem teens may need help to overcome their behaviour from social workers or by attending anger management classes I think giving the behaviour a label almost makes such conduct acceptable, like "I hit you in the face, but it's not my fault I have oppositional defiant disorder". And I worry that internet addiction may become a similar excuse, if you see what I mean.
Well, I'm ****ed then.
I spend over 6 hours a day on the internet.
>_>S
Same and goodness knows how many texts I send. I HAVE to have my phone with me wherever I go ! Buut pretty much most of the people i know do too.
It's just something that's used so often. =/
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The Doctor
Sometimes I worry that far too many behaviours are becoming pathologised. Internet addiction, sex addiction and other similar addictions can obviously become real problems for people, however I don't automatically think labelling things is a helpful tool. e.g things such as Oppositional Defiant disorder which as far as I can see is just being an extremely troublesome teenager. And whilst such problem teens may need help to overcome their behaviour from social workers or by attending anger management classes I think giving the behaviour a label almost makes such conduct acceptable, like "I hit you in the face, but it's not my fault I have oppositional defiant disorder". And I worry that internet addiction may become a similar excuse, if you see what I mean.
Well, I'm ****ed then.
I spend over 6 hours a day on the internet.
>_>S
This.
What's 'ninemsn', anyone? Anything to do with MSN itself? 'Cause I skimread the article (my concentration, she fails =D) and didn't see anything about instant messengers, unless I just missed it
Is it an addiction? I just think of it as a way to talk to people.
My husband is my best friend.
In forgiving others, we are not exonerating them. They may not deserve exoneration. Rather, in forgiving others we are giving up our anger over the fact that what happened is not what "should" have happened or that our life is not the way it "should" have been.
Well I'm on the net and text a lot. Probably too much.
But I've gone without both for a month or so before when traveling a few times and I was ok. So I don't think I'm addicted or anything.
Or maybe I'm just in denial XD
I wouldn't stalk anyone if it wasn't for the internet... it lets me do it from the safety of my own home :P
Seriously. I use the net all day at work. And then come home and use it some more :P But that's becasue I don't have a life... not 'cause i'm addicted!
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
What's 'ninemsn', anyone? Anything to do with MSN itself? 'Cause I skimread the article (my concentration, she fails =D) and didn't see anything about instant messengers, unless I just missed it
I get really, really anxious without my phone, I know that much. But I don't really use it that much, I just get panicky if I've got no way of contacting anyone or anyone being able to contact me. I guess it's more of an anxiety thing, rather than an addiction to using it.
I do spend a rediculous amount of time on the internet though. And I do get really grouchy and stuff without it.
Now I'll play your ghost as my ace, whenever I'm led astray.
But I am actually good, can't help it if we're tilted.
I'm in my right place, don't be a downer.
One of the defining features of an addiction in the sense of a mental illness is that it causes significant impairment of social, occupational, or educational functioning, or significant distress to the individual. Spending lots of time emailing or texting generally isn't going to cause any of that, cause it's just a normal form of communication -- it would be like saying someone has an addiction to talking. And tbh, I can't even see how it possibly could cause significant impairment or distress other than as a symptom of something else (like someone with social anxiety might have problems with emailing too much instead of talking to people, but the fundamental problem would still be anxiety about talking to people rather than the actual email, or someone with ADHD might have problems from emailing/texting excessively and impulsively like they can with talking too much in general, but that wouldn't actually be about emailing/texting specifically). Internet addiction is different -- that describes more when people not only spend loads of time online, but will actually routinely decline down social interactions, skip work, etc. because they "need" to be online to the extent that they avoid other activities to make time for it. But emailing or texting during work or school is really no different to talking, making phone calls, passing notes, etc., and turning down social activities in favor of emailing/texting someone else, well, that usually just comes down to who you'd rather talk to...
Emily
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Sometimes I worry that far too many behaviours are becoming pathologised. Internet addiction, sex addiction and other similar addictions can obviously become real problems for people, however I don't automatically think labelling things is a helpful tool. e.g things such as Oppositional Defiant disorder which as far as I can see is just being an extremely troublesome teenager. And whilst such problem teens may need help to overcome their behaviour from social workers or by attending anger management classes I think giving the behaviour a label almost makes such conduct acceptable, like "I hit you in the face, but it's not my fault I have oppositional defiant disorder". And I worry that internet addiction may become a similar excuse, if you see what I mean.
this, this and this again.
Whilst I totally appreciate the need to understand something, I feel that too often certain behaviours are being labeled unnecessarily.
Some behaviours are just that - behaviours. It seems that too often people are being given excuses to act in a certain way...because it's an "illness" when most of the time it's not anything like that.
Excessive e-mail and texting is no more an illness that gossiping on the phone was 10 years ago. It's a means of communication and a link to the world. I guess if you go to extremes with such things and it seriously effects your life then perhaps there's something wrong, but there must be an existing explaination for that. I don't feel it needs a whole catagory of it's own.
