Internet addiction is still a bit controversial and hasn’t been officially recognized as a mental disorder yet. However, according to surveys conducted in the US and Europe, as much as 8 % of population might be addicted to digital technologies. In Asia, the situation is possibly even worse (but measuring this addiction in a comparable way is not easy).
A real disorder manifests itself when your behavior adversely affects your daily life, according to an article on the website of the business school INSEAD. Mobile phone addiction, for example, has already become an internationally recognized psychiatric diagnosis called nomophobia (from "no mobile phobia").
Digital addiction
People who suffer from this addiction seek out digital activities too often. Their reward is the release of dopamine in their brains. When digital addicts are asked how much they use the internet, they try to conceal the true magnitude of their involvement.
They often neglect their families and even abandon their social life. The impact on their job, educational and career opportunities are also adverse. There is a parallel with food addictions. These addictions are beaten when addicts learn to eat healthily and regularly. The key is simply to create healthy patterns and achieve a balance.
Curing a digital addiction
Digital addicts should take part in therapies aimed at replacing damaging thoughts. They also need to learn and embrace behavior patterns that are healthier and more productive than their current ones.
Individual and group psychotherapy backed up by family counseling can also be an effective way of getting rid of the addiction. Medications can help with the treatment, because people prone to digital addiction are likely to suffer from anxiety and depression as well.
-jk-