COMMENTARIES
Internet addiction over the decade: a personal look back
an addiction that they could not under- spread the problem is. A nationwide
KIMBERLY YOUNG
Center for Internet Addiction Recovery, Bradford, stand. Yet, after reading Caught in the study led by E. Aboujaoude (4) estimated
PA, USA
Net, they found validation and under- that nearly one in eight Americans suf-
standing to a disorder that they knew fer from at least one sign of problematic
The Internet has certainly changed they were experiencing but had not been Internet use. Studies abroad have docu-
since I first began to study Internet ad- recognized by many professionals when mented Internet addiction in a growing
diction in 1994. Then, it cost $2.95 per they tried to seek help. number of countries such as Italy, Paki-
hour to login. Applications such as After Caught in the Net was pub- stan, Iran, Germany, and Czech Repub-
MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and Sec- lished, many journalists and scholars did lic, to name a few.
ond Life did not exist. Modem speeds not believe that people could become Globally, we see that science has
ranged from 14.4 to 28.8 mbps. Web addicted to the Internet. At that point, greatly contributed to our understand-
sites started proliferating the Internet, many laughed and scoffed at the idea. ing of compulsive or addictive use of the
and most without any graphics, sound, How could a tool so useful for informa- Internet and that new forms of treatment
or video. Only a growing number of tion and communication be considered are emerging. These include traditional
schools and businesses were connected addictive? twelve-step recovery, cognitive-behav-
to the Internet. These early studies and those of my ioral therapies, and more intensive forms
By the late 90s, the height of the Dot colleagues such as D. Greenfield (2) and of treatment such as residential inpatient
Com era before the bubble burst, every- M. Orzack (3) opened the conversation care.
one was clamoring to learn more about to the darker side of what lied ahead. While much attention has been paid
the Internet. Computer companies were Could it be too much? Research in the to Internet addiction in the academic
dolling out new technologies faster than field of Internet addiction has grown sub- and clinical fields, developing universal
people could buy them and any company stantially. Studies have focused on clini- standards of care and assessment has
with dot com after its name was assumed cal diagnosis, epidemiology, psychosocial been difficult, because the field is cultur-
to make millions. No one was worried risk factors, symptom management, and ally diverse and terminology in the aca-
about the potential for addiction. treatment outcome. Internet addiction demic literature has varied, from Internet
Yet, after a friend called me to tell has not only been identified as a national addiction to problematic Internet use or
me of her divorce because her husband problem in the US, but in countries such pathological Internet use. The American
became addicted to AOL chat rooms, it as China, Korea, and Taiwan. Media Psychiatric Association has proposed
made me wonder if others could get ad- reports suggest Internet addiction has including the diagnosis of pathological
dicted to the Internet in the same way reached epidemic proportions. computer use in the DSM-IV revision,
as people become addicted to drugs, al- Healthcare professionals started see- concluding that this is the broadest term
cohol, gambling, food, and sex. It was ing cases of people who suffered from to use.
a daunting and challenging task. I was Internet-related clinical problems. Pio- Overall, I can say that we are only be-
fresh out of graduate school with my neer treatment centers specializing in ginning to understand the impact of the
doctorate in clinical psychology. I had Internet addiction recovery emerged at Internet. It is my hope that in the next
studied neuropsychology, a far cry from McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical decade we will understand so much
being an Internet addiction expert, yet, School affiliate, and at the Illinois Insti- more about its social and clinical impli-
hearing story after story about people tute for Addiction Recovery at Proctor cations.
suffering because of the Internet and Hospital in Peoria, Illinois. Inpatient
how their use had taken over aspects addiction rehabilitation centers such
References
of their lives, I knew that I had to share as The Canyon, Sierra Tucson, and The
what I had learned. Meadows started to include Internet- 1. Young KS. Caught in the net: understand-
ing Internet addiction. New York: Wiley,
In 1998, I wrote Caught in the Net, related compulsivity as one of the sub-
1998.
the first book to identify Internet addic- specialties they treat. Globally, the first
2. Greenfield D. Virtual addiction: help for
tion (1). Publishing the book changed inpatient treatment center opened in
netheads, cyberfreaks, and those who love
my life. Once published, the publicity Beijing, China in 2006, and it is estimat-
them. Oakland: New Harbinger, 1999.
around the book took on a life of its ed that Korea has over 140 Internet ad- 3. Orzack M. Computer addiction: is it real or
is it virtual? Harvard Mental Health Letter
own. I joked that I had become the Ann diction treatment recovery centers. Most
1999;15:8.
Landers of cyberspace, as letters and recently, the first inpatient residential
4. Aboujaoude E, Koran LM, Gamel N et al.
email from across the globe poured in. care center opened in the US: the Restart
Potential markers for problematic Internet
I heard from parents, spouses, and ad- Program in Redmond, Washington.
use: a telephone survey of 2,513 adults.
dicts themselves struggling to deal with It is difficult to estimate how wide- CNS Spectr 2006;11:750-5.
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