Co-Morbidity of Internet Addiction with Anxiety and Depression

Problematic Internet use [PIU], or Internet addiction, is characterized by excessive use, impairment, or distress as result of the use of the internet. Early studies by Young [1] Griffiths, [2,3] and Aboujaoude [4] defined this disorder and included extensive research on it. The condition has attracted increasing attention in the popular media and among researchers, and this increase in attention has paralleled the growth in computer use and Internet access [5]. Phenomenologically, there appear to be at least three subtypes of Internet addiction: excessive gaming or gambling, sexual preoccupations [cybersex], and socializing or social networking including e-mail and text messaging. Internet addicts may use the Internet for extended periods, isolating themselves from other forms of social contact, and may focus almost entirely on the Internet rather than on other life events. Adolescents with problematic Internet use showed dysfunctional coping strategies with problems in school and home and exhibited poor interpersonal relations [6]. Internet addiction can also be explained by a need to escape from oneself, which may account for the excessive playing of Internet games [7]. Three different models have been proposed for PIU [8-11]. Some researchers have considered impulse control disorders as part of the obsessive-compulsive disorder spectrum as a model. This model is supported by brain-imaging and pharmacological treatment studies with selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs] [12] although other treatments and brain-imaging studies may challenge it. PIU has also been conceptualized as an impulse control disorder, characterized by the urgeto repeatedly engage in a behavior-going onlinethat is pleasurable in the moment but can lead to negative downstream effects [4] Third, Internet addiction has been suggested for inclusion in the behavioral addiction spectrum because it involves excessive use despite adverse consequences, withdrawal phenomena, and tolerance, all of which characterize many substance-use disorders. The frequent appearance of Internet addiction in the context of numerous comorbidity conditions raises complex questions of causality.