A report in the Feb. 10, 2010 issue of the journal Psychopathology by British researchers at the University of Leeds reports that compulsive Internet users are likely to be depressed. And this correlation is especially strong in young people.
Is Internet addiction a real disorder?
Part of the criticism against studies like the recent Psychopathology one is that Internet addiction isn't actually recognized as a mental disorder by psychologists or the American Psychiatric Association. At least, it isn't recognized quite yet. The association is considering including Internet addiction in its 2012 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
An October 2009 study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that somewhere between 1-18% of teens may fall under the classification of being addicted to the Internet.
Signs of Internet addiction-linked depression
Wondering how to tell if you or someone you know has been spending too much time online and might be at risk for depression? The following signs might clue you in:
- Spending more time socializing in virtual worlds than in the real world
- Retreating more and more from real-life interactions
- Finding it hard to stay away from the computer, especially when you know you should be completing some real-world activity
- Spending more time than most of the people you know on sex web sites, online gaming sites, and online communities
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