According to the Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) diagnostic manual, Internet addiction is divided into five categories: addiction to online games, pornography, social networking, Internet information and Internet shopping.
The Internet is arguably one of the most impactful and important inventions well, ever. It has the ability to inform millions, to entertain, to escape into an infinite world of incalculable possibilities, and to bring you this blog to read, but is it also addictive and detrimental? China has been the first country to classify Internet addiction as an official disorder, and even to have registered it as a condition with the World Health Organization. In addition, it is also the first to create a diagnostic manual for Internet addiction, and has since influenced the rest of the world to look more closely at this growing concern.
According to the Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) diagnostic manual, Internet addiction is divided into five categories: addiction to online games (网络游戏 wǎngluò yóuxì), pornography, social networking, Internet information and Internet shopping. Adolescent to young adult males make up the largest demographic of both Internet users Internet addiction and online gaming is their method of choice. Females are the next largest group of addicts, using online chatting as the tool. However, their numbers fall far short of the young males that are glued to the online gaming world.
China’s new categorization has added fuel to the fire of this argument all over the world. So much so that Internet addiction is being considered for addition to the the newest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disease (DSMV): it is due for publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in May of 2013.
LINK TO REST OF ARTICLE – Saturday, March 9, 2013 | By: Matthew Dubois
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