Internet Addiction

Time to Include Internet Addiction in the Official Classification of Psychiatry
Suprakash Chaudhury*, Swaleha Mujawar, Daniel Saldanha
Deparment of Psychiatry, Dr DY Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, India
*Corresponding author: Suprakash Chaudhury, Deparment of Psychiatry, Dr DY Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, India.
Received: February 20, 2021; Published: March 30, 2021

Editorial
An addictive behaviour is characterized by six core components of: salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflict, and relapse. Any behaviour that fulfils these six criteria is considered as an addiction [1]. Internet Addiction (IA disorder, Internet dependence, pathological Internet use, problematic Internet use, compulsive Internet use) is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon which affects not only an individual’s social but also psychological life. All the features of addictions, like salience, compulsive use (loss of control), the alleviation of distress, tolerance and withdrawal, mood modification, and the continuation despite negative consequences are observed in IA [2]. Based on Davis’ cognitive-behavioral model of IA, Caplan suggested that individuals with psychiatric problems may favour online interaction over face-to-face communication as it is easier to offset their social skill deficiencies [3,4]. Some people use the net to cope with loneliness anxiety, depression, [5] or to escape mental problems [6]. Subsequently this may lead to dependence [7]. A study of 209 university students in Turkey revealed that male students
who spend longer on the web and use Internet for communication are more likely to obtain higher IA scores. IA is related to depression, [8] loneliness and shyness, [9] lower resilience and self-efficacy [2] lower self-esteem and lower satisfaction with life [10]. 

References

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    doctoral dissertation)”. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.