Internet obsession or addiction

An Israel psychiatrist believes behaviors such as — craving your computer mouse as the first thing you do after awakening, or obsessively checking email in the middle of the night – is better described as an addiction rather than an obsession.

Experts estimate ten percent of all Internet surfers are afflicted with "Internet addiction disorder," a pathological condition that can lead to anxiety and severe depression.

Dr. Pinhas Dannon, a psychiatrist from Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, recommends the disorder be grouped with other extreme addictive disorders such as gambling, sex addiction, and kleptomania.

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The symptoms of Internet addiction in both groups are vague and are often difficult to diagnose. Sufferers may experience loss of sleep, anxiety when not online, isolation from family and peer groups, loss of work, and periods of deep depression.

Treating Internet addiction can only be done effectively, believes Dr. Dannon, if the condition is treated like any other extreme and menacing addiction. For example, a clinician could use talk therapy or prescribe medication such as Serotonin blockers and Naltrexone, which are also effective against kleptomania and pathological gambling.

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