Ivan Goldberg Model

Internet addiction has become a huge problem in today’s society. In Greg Beato’s article, he discusses the growing phenomena of internet addiction disorder. The writer explains that more and more people are becoming addicted to the internet. For example, he tells of a teenager in Ohio, who shot and killed his mom and injured his dad because they took away his Xbox. He tells how it is stated that five to ten percent of the 52 million internet users were addicted. The author is telling us that the internet has become very addictive in our everyday society.

Internet addiction is now considered to be a “grave national health crisis”(Dokoupil 2012, 27). Several cases have emerged where people went completely insane due to the abuse of technology. This was to the extreme where two parents were so addicted to taking care of their virtual baby, they forgot about their real child. The infant was neglected to death. Another case is of a son who turns on his own mother when she suggests “he log[s] off”(27). As a response, the young man beats his mother until she eventually dies. These aren’t the only examples of insanity and for this reason, for the first time in history, “Internet Addiction Disorder will be included...in an

Patho-physiologists define addiction as a disease, thus affording to the chemical imbalance between the limbic and frontal lobes of the brain (Litowitz 2012). Psychologists have taken a broader approach, linking neuroscience with a binomial relationship to human behaviour in order to diagnose and challenge whether addiction is mind over matter, or indeed a neurological disorder (Burton, Westen, Kowalski, 2012). The following essay will firstly discuss three theories of psychology and how they each approach this binomial relationship; with particular reference to Internet addiction. Secondly, the paper will discuss research and results particular to each therapy and finally, argue that cognitive therapy as opposed to psychodynamic therapy and behavioural therapy, is a better catalyst for effective treatment of Internet addiction.

Based on the participant’s background and history, I determined that an integrative approach using CBT and Reality Therapy was appropriate. Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Reality Therapy are both effective in treating addictions. My participant struggles with negative thinking and irrational thoughts, poor decision making and problem solving which are common for a person struggling with substance use disorders. Therefore, integrating these two treatment modalities will assist the participant in restructuring his thoughts and finding effective ways to bring about changes in his life by taking responsibility for his own actions.

In the article “Journal of Mental Health” Kristy L Pinpoint the status of internet addiction (IA).Kristy L has informed us that the Internet has become a necessary for communication,

From schizophrenia to bipolar disorder to severe depression there is no question that these are serious mental illnesses that are debilitating and require constant medical care and according to the American Psychiatric Association(APA) hording and internet disorders are just a couple of new diagnosis that they have added to the manual of mental disorder or DSM. But is this addition of new mental disorders really beneficial for the patients or is this a way for doctors and pharmaceutical companies to cash in? , this paper proposes both drawbacks and benefits to the diagnosis of mental disorders as well as investigation of some specific examples of diagnosed disorders. However, the paper’s main direction is to focus on the drawbacks which

Behaviour is something we acquire and shape it to fit our requirements. Behaviour is shaped by an individual’s interaction with culture and environment. This behavioural report will focus on the undesired behaviour, which is the heavy internet usage. The report will aim to establish baseline, monitor the behaviour and execute treatments to reduce and control the undesired behaviour. Internet addiction is defined as the indulgent or overuse of the internet. Extreme internet use occurs daily in my life, regardless during anytime of the day. The undesired behaviour that is the internet addiction has to reduce the usage in order to have a positive impact on the life. The heavy internet usage has to be reduced, and in its place introduce hobbies and time for study. Boredom is the main cause for the need to use internet. In the internet there are comics, television shows and other activities that could help elevate boredom. Due to the heavy internet use, socializing with family and friends have been significantly reduced. The repeated heavy internet usage has an impact on the physical burden and mental stressors on my life. The internet usage has been a repeated behaviour since I was twelve years old. The internet usage has been my repeated behaviour for a long time

Various models have been designed to explain the how IAD develops in an individual and how it is then maintained. These models draw from different fields of psychology such to determine different theorised causes for the addiction such as biological factors (such as chemical imbalances making one more susceptible to addiction), psychological predispositions (such as other mental health problems or personality) and social factors (such as culture, socio-economic standing and acceptance of the Internet from others). Whilst these factors are dependant on the individual, some studies include the nature and attributes of the Internet itself. Some models include the cognitive-behavioural model of problematic Internet use, the access, affordability and anonymity engine, the anonymity, convenience and escape model and the comprehensive model of the development and maintenance of Internet addiction.

In fact, research has shown correlative links between internet addiction and depression in youth, largely due to absence of supervision and internet access which lowers motivation to engage in social activities. Even further, another research shows that stimulants like Methylphenidate (MPH) could be integrated into treatment because of the high degree of association between internet addiction and ADHD development. This is especially true for children addicted to videogames and display “opposing and hyperactivity behaviours” (Han et al., 2009; Ko et al., 2012). From the articles mentioned thus far, a “bi-directional” correlation can be drawn between mental health disorders in children and internet addiction (Ko et al.,

Thus, the high-risk group shown in the “Hostility Online” study could be assessed as meeting some of the guidelines of internet addiction, but not being excessive enough. (Yen, Ju-Yu, et al). With the multiple scales and inventories used by both studies to examine if clinical factors contributed to internet addiction, the answer from the first study is that, “statistical analyses that included potential mediating variables (the BAI, BDI, and CASS) showed that clinical factors played mediating roles only when aggression predicted IAD and not vice versa”. (Yen, Ju-Yu, et al). This means that aggression when seen as a symptom of aggression is not bound by underlying clinical factors. Regardless of clinical factors, the data concerning the casual relationship still stands. This is also referenced in the first article when it mentions that, “In terms of demographic data, it was confirmed that adolescents in the Internet addiction group had higher scores on the BDI, BAI, and CASS than did those in the other two groups [high-risk user and standard user]” (Lim, Jae-A, et al). Therefore, the argument of clinical factors does not contradict with Internet addiction causing the aggressive behavior as examined by the BDI, BAI, and CASS

A lot of people enjoy surfing the net, they look for interesting websites and chat with people all over the world. Although, some people spend so many hours online that they are internet addicts. However an average person spends about 12 hours per week, but an addict may spend 8 to 12 hours per day online, because addicts spend so much time interacting with the computer that their lives are negatively affected. They become socially isolated, because they stop going out and talking to people face-to-face. They avoid real-life social situations, preferring instead to be in a dimly lit room with only the glowing screen to light up their lives.

In this letter, he described how he suffered from the internet: his eyesight worsened, and he became more introverted. Based on Tao Ran’s experience treating hundreds of addicts in hospital, he mentioned that if you don’t give internet addicts any access to the internet, you may see a physical reaction, like someone experiencing the process of detoxification. From his prospective, all types of addictions, including drug, alcoholism, and gambling, are all comparative, because they have the same effects. In recent years, many medias and newspaper had reported internet addictions as ‘habit’; however, Tao Ran argues that if internet addiction is taken to a certain level, it can transform into a mental illness. Another two experts, Wu and Zhang,

Research started in 1983 aimed to discover how this addiction starts, the prevalence, as well as the risk factors associated with this behavior. “The studies on Internet gaming addiction in the new millennium reported prevalence estimates which vary significantly and range from 0.2% in Germany25,26 to 50% of Korean teenagers.” (Kuss, D. J.) In fact, South Korea views this addiction as a public health concern. So much so, that up to 24% of children diagnosed with internet addiction are hospitalized. As a growing number of studies appear, the psychological consequences are becoming better defined. These consequences include, “Sacrificing real-life relationships, other pastime activities, sleep, work, education, socializing, and relationships, obsession with gaming and a lack of real-life relationships, lack of attention, aggression and hostility, stress, dysfunctional coping, worse academic achievement, problems with verbal memory, and low well-being and high loneliness.” (Kuss, D.

Pramod and Davey both show the severity of what this addiction can do in their articles. Davey looks at the effects of social media and anxiety and explains the loneliness aspect of it (Davey). Yet, Pramod identifies the causes and symptoms which suggest several professionals including phycologists are aware of the illness (Pramod). However, whilst few acknowledge the disorder there does seem to be an overall lack of attention from most medical professionals. This is shown in the DSM. The “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” written by the American Psychiatric Association is the complete categorization and analysis of every mental disorder (Oquendo, et al). The DSM neglects to present a particular disorder which is referred to as the “Internet addiction disorder”. It is not categorized in their latest manual of DSM-5, 2013. Therefore, the disorder not being in the DSM, the most commonly used source for psychiatrists,

Under the new DSM-5 framework, Internet gaming disorder refers to the “persistent and recurrent use of the Internet to engage in games, often with other players, leading to clinically significant impairment or distress…” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The diagnostic symptoms include difficulty controlling use, continued use despite knowledge of psychosocial problems, using gaming to escape or relieve negative moods, loss of interest in other activities, and significant impact on relationships, work or education (Petry et al., 2014). There are 9 criteria for characterising a person with Internet gaming disorder and 5 out of the 9 criteria must be met within one year, such as preoccupation or obsession