Derrik Horman Nathan Cole English 2010, 072 16 October 2013 Report aper Are Mental Disorders Caused

by Internet Addiction or Vice Versa?

Horman1

!"b#ect $ is a 32 %ear ol& male 'orking his 'a% thro"gh his (th %ear o) college* +n his past he has ha& ps%chiatric e,al"ations sho'ing he has a bipolar &isor&er, &epression, 'hich is in remission, an& obsessi,e-comp"lsi,e &isor&er .OCD/, along 'ith a histor% o) paraphilia .intense se0"al aro"sal/* He starte& "sing the +nternet as a teenager pla%ing m"ltipla%er online strateg% games* !"b#ect $ 'o"l& pla% long eno"gh that his +nternet "se 'as starting to a))ect his gra&es* He recogni1es that his +nternet "se, &"ring college, ha& contrib"te& to aca&emic problems &"e to e0cessi,e amo"nts o) time spent in chat rooms* 2n)ort"natel%, he has not been able to &ecrease the amo"nt o) time online to impro,e his aca&emic &i))ic"lties* 3e)ore he logs in he e0periences a rising sense o) tension or anticipation an& a release o) these )eelings a)ter logging in* +) !"b#ect $ becomes stresse& he 'ill "se the +nternet to o,ercome this problem an&, s"bse4"entl%, &isco,er he has been online m"ch longer than anticipate&* 5his e0ample o) an +nternet "ser 'ho has m"ltiple ps%chological &isor&ers brings to min& the 4"estion6 Do pree0isting mental &isor&ers promote +nternet a&&iction or &oes +nternet a&&iction enhance ps%chological mala&ies7 8+t is not clear 'hether e0cessi,e "se o) +nternet is the ca"se or the conse4"ence o) mental &isor&ers9 .$l,i et al/* Ho'e,er, mental &isor&ers o)ten associate& 'ith +nternet a&&iction incl"&e, &epression, stress, bipolar &isor&er, an& OCD .obsessi,e-comp"lsi,e &isor&er/* Depression is e0hibite& b% 8a mental state o) altere& moo& characteri1e& b% )eelings o) sa&ness, &espair, an& &isco"ragement9 .the)ree&ictionar%/* !tress is an in&i,i&"al:s reaction to the changing en,ironment o) press"res an& &eman&s one ma% li,e in* 3ipolar &isor&er is an e0ample o) an emotional high-lo' roller coaster t%pe o) con&ition* $ person can go )rom )eeling relati,el% normal to

Horman2 an e0alte& state o) an emotional high, )eeling as i) he;she can con4"er e,er%thing, to an emotional lo' 'here the person 'ill completel% 'ith&ra' )rom societ% insi&e their o'n min&* $ccor&ing to the)ree&ictionar%*com, OCD is 8an an0iet% &isor&er characteri1e& b% intr"si,e tho"ghts that pro&"ce repetiti,e beha,iors aime& at re&"cing the associate& an0iet%*9 Do these &isor&ers contrib"te to a person being a&&icte& to the +nternet or &oes the +nternet enhance pree0isting problems7 <hen an in&i,i&"al is online he;she has complete anon%mit% )rom the entire 'orl& gi,ing a sense o) sec"rit%* 5he in&i,i&"al can e0press themsel,es as the opposite o) 'ho the% are in the real 'orl&* 5his t%pe o) beha,ior 'ill gi,e the "ser the sense o) sel)-'orth he;she is not recei,ing )rom )amil%, )rien&s or co-'orkers* $ great e0ample o) this t%pe o) mentalit% is e0presse& b% the song 8Online9 b% 3ra& aisle%* 5he chor"s o) the song sa%s, 8:ca"se online +:m o"t in Holl%'oo& +:m 6:= an& + look &amn goo& + &ri,e a >aserati +:m a black belt in ?arate $n& + lo,e a goo& glass o) 'ine +t t"rns girls on that +:m m%sterio"s + tell :em + &on:t 'ant nothing serio"s :ca"se e,en on a slo' &a% + can ha,e a three 'a% Chat 'ith t'o 'omen at one time +:m so m"ch cooler online !o m"ch cooler online9 .a1l%rics/* 5he remain&er o) the song &escribes ho' the person has ne,er ha& a girl)rien&, still li,es at home 'ith mom an& &a&, 'orks a &ea&-en& #ob, has some minor health problems an& sel&om e,er tra,els o"tsi&e o) his o'n comm"nit%* 3"t 'hen he is online he e0aggerates himsel) into being e0actl% 'hat he, in realit%, is not* 5his song is an e0ample o) 'h% a person 'ith, 8$0is 1, or moo& &isor&ers9 .Rosen =/ 'ith s"ch a lo' sel) esteem, an& &epression 'o"l& e0cessi,el% "se the +nternet as an escape )rom the mentall% harsh 'orl& he li,es in* $ st"&% 'as &one among a pop"lation o) 2=0 college st"&ents across the "ni,ersities in +s)ahan,

Horman3 +ran* 5he st"&% 'as con&"cte& in 2011 an& the con&itions 'ere the st"&ents ha& to be "sing 8the +nternet at least once a 'eek )or the last 6 months at their home, school, librar%, co))ee net, or an% other relati,e place9 .$la,i et al/* 5he p"rpose o) the st"&% 'as to &isco,er i) a relationship bet'een +nternet a&&iction an& ps%chiatric &isor&ers &oes e0ist* 5he st"&ents 'ere s"r,e%e& i) the% &o or &o not spen& e0cessi,e amo"nts o) time on the +nternet* 5he ,ariable o) the s"r,e% are the st"&ents 'ho 'ere "n&eci&e&* 5able 1 sho's the &emographics o) the pop"lation st"&ie&6

.$la,i et al/ 5able 2 )rom $la,a et al, sho's the relationship o) +nternet a&&iction associate& 'ith the st"&ents 'ho ha,e been &iagnose& 'ith ps%chological &isor&ers*

Horman( 5he researchers o) this st"&% &isco,ere& that man% o) the s"b#ects teste& ha& m"ltiple co morbi& ps%chological problems* 5he)ree&ictionar%*com states, 8Co morbi&- pertaining to a &isease or other pathological process that occ"rs sim"ltaneo"sl% 'ith another*9 5able 2 sho's that man% o) the st"&ents ha,e been &iagnose& 'ith OCD, &epression, phobias, an& somati1ation, 8the presence o) more than one &iagnosis occ"ring in an in&i,i&"al at the same time9 .the)ree&ictionar%/* 5his st"&% is sho'ing that +nternet a&&iction promotes ,ario"s ps%chological problems s"ch as phobias an& paranoia being the largest* Other research, accor&ing to $la,i et al, has &isco,ere& that +nternet a&&icts ha,e a histor% o) &epression, an0iet% an& lo' sel)-esteem* Email, chat-rooms, te0ting an& @acebook are all e0amples o) other )orms o) a&&ictions that can promote ps%chological &isor&ers* Recent research has &isco,ere& a ne' &e,elopment among preteens an& teenagers calle& 8@acebook &epression9 .Rosen 76/* 5his occ"rs 'hen an in&i,i&"al spen&s e0cessi,e amo"nts o) time ,ie'ing )rien&s an& others on @acebook an& then starts comparing their o'n li,es to the ones the% are obser,ing* 5he person can see e0tra,agant ,acations, large parties an& e0pensi,e gi)ts an& comes to the reali1ation that these possibilities are not in their o'n )"t"re* 5his &isco,er% ai&s in the mental collapse o) &epression* !te,e, .not his real name/ is a 1A %ear-ol& college st"&ent* He li,es in a &orm 'ith t'o other st"&ents an& his school is =00 miles )rom the to'n he gre' "p in* !te,e is constantl% te0ting, in one month he ha& sent an& recei,e& 86,3=A te0ts9 .Rosen B2/* +n a 30 &a% month that totals "p to be at least 212 te0ts per &a%* His te0ting con,ersations are not the "s"al brie) "p&ates o) li)e in his hometo'n, the% can e0ten& late into the night 'ith long chats )rom his girl)rien& 'ho is a senior at his high school* He also spen&s copio"s amo"nts o) time te0ting 'ith his best )rien& 'ho atten&s a comm"nit% college near his home* !te,e has been atten&ing college )or )i,e 'eeks an& he is behin& in all )o"r o) his co"rses an& has &one no home'ork in t'o classes* 8He can:t seem to get o"t o) be& in the morning an& he is )eeling

Horman= like e,er%&a% is a b"r&en9 .Rosen B2/ * He has a complete lack o) moti,ation to atten& his classes an& to &o the home'ork, along 'ith the &i))ic"lties o) concentrating in class an& )oc"sing on the lect"res presente& to him* !te,e is an e0ample o) ho' &epression can be bro"ght on b% his e0cessi,e "se o) an electronic &e,ice* 5here is no metho& to &etermine i) the act o) contin"o"s te0ting is the ca"se o) &epression, b"t accor&ing to Dr* Rosen, 8it seems that he retreats into electronic comm"nications as a 'a% o) keeping in close contact 'ith his )rien&s back at home9 .B2/* <hen he is te0t messaging his best )rien& !te,e complains abo"t ho' terrible li)e is* !te,e an& his girl)rien& constantl% arg"e thro"gh +> .instant messaging/ or te0ting an& she 'ants him to see a ps%chologist* @rom !te,e:s point-o)-,ie' his li)e is rather grim* $la,i et al &isc"sses at the en& o) their st"&% ho' the research o) e0cessi,e +nternet "se on a person 'ith mental &isor&ers is inconcl"si,e* 5he theor% o) +nternet "se ca"sing mental &isor&ers or ps%chological mala&ies promoting +nternet ab"se has not been establishe&* >an% more long term st"&ies an& research m"st be &one be)ore a scienti)ic &iagnosis or treatment is a,ailable* Ho'e,er, the pro)essionals 'ho 'ork in the mental health )iel& nee&, 8to be a'are o) mental problems ca"se& b% +nternet a&&iction s"ch as an0iet%, &epression, aggression, #ob an& e&"cational &issatis)action* 5he% Cmental health pro)essionalsD sho"l& also be a'are o) this gro'ing phenomenon an& the role that ps%cholog% can take in a&&ressing +nternet "se an& ab"se9 .$la,i et al/*

Horman6 <orks Cite& $la,i, !e%%e& !alman, >ohamma& Re1a >arac%, @ereshte Eannati)ar&, an& >eh&i Eslami* F5he E))ect o) s%chiatric !%mptoms On 5he +nternet $&&iction Disor&er in +s)ahan*F Journal of Research in Medical Sciences* 16.6/* .2011/6 7A3-B00* <eb* 10 Oct* 2013* G'''*ncbi*nih*go,;pmc;aritcles; >C321(3ABH* 8Co-morbi&9* Thefreedictionary. @arle0, 2013* <eb* 30 No,* 2013 8Depression9* Thefreedictionary. @arle0, 2013* <eb* 30 No,* 2013 8Obsessi,e-Comp"lsi,e Disor&er9* Thefreedictionary. @arle0, 2013* <eb* 30 No,* 2013 Online*9 azlyrics. I%rics $-J 2ni,erse, 2013* <eb* B Oct* 2013 Rosen, hD, Iarr%* iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession With Technology and O erco!ing "ts #old On Us* 1st* Ne' Kork6 algra,e >acmillan, 2012* rint* 8!omati1ation9* Thefreedictionary. @arle0, 2013* <eb* 30 No,* 2013