News Room Contributor Posts: 8020 Joined: 12 Nov 2002 | Internet Addiction: Coming To China In 2009
China is expected to become the first nation in the world to recognize "internet addiction" as a clinical disorder and register the condition with the World Health Organization.
The Times Online says the Chinese Health Ministry plans to adopt the diagnosis next year, based on years of research by Chinese psychologists. Tao Ran, who set up China's first internet addiction clinic at the Military General Hospital in Beijing, said his studies of more than 3000 people over four years led him to determine that the condition is legitimate, similar to compulsive gambling or alcoholism. "China finds itself at the forefront of this research because we were among the earliest to set up clinics," he said. "We had a sufficient sample of patients so that we could carry out proper scientific analysis."
Tao said internet addicts spend 6.13 hours per day online, a figure that matches up nicely with that of experts in the U.S., who say that 6.14 hours represents addiction; in the U.S., however, internet addiction is not recognized as an actual illness. Officials in China estimate that about ten percent of "young users," the great majority of whom are male, are addicted to the internet, while research by media company InterActiveCorp found that 42 percent of young users in China felt addicted to the internet, compared with only 18 percent in the U.S.
Tao added that internet addiction is often a symptom of deeper psychological issues, pointing out that behavioral problems, criminal activity and drug use often preceded the addiction; according to statistics compiled by the Beijing Public Security Bureau, about 76 percent of "juvenile criminals" are addicted to the internet. Some addicts also experience suicidal tendencies, Tao said.
He noted that unlike drugs, the internet does not create a dependency, and claims about a 70 percent success rate in curing his patients. The spread of internet addiction appears to be slowing in China as well, which he attributed to the rapid expansion of treatment clinics across the country. "The increase now is not as rapid as it was a few years ago," he said. "However, this was the first such clinic in China when it opened in 2005. Now there are several hundred across the country."
via: Ars Technica
(photo)
Permalink |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1073 Joined: 25 Feb 2008 | I wouldn't be suprised if they simply use it to kick people off the internet for posting content they don't agree with.
If they, suprisingly, are genuine i state again that OCD that involves games or the internet is still OCD and not some seperate disease. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1751 Joined: 22 Oct 2008 | It's not a disease; it's an evolution. |
Beat Writer Posts: 209 Joined: 2 Jan 2008 | Nimbus:
It's not a disease; it's an evolution.
I prefer my Tan kthxbai.
I think the cause of this so called 'Addiction' is the result of a country where children are not taught to think for themselves and where information is monitored. Even behind the great firewall of china, where only filtered content is approved, the net provides escapism form the draconic reality that is the PRC. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1751 Joined: 22 Oct 2008 | rougeknife:
Nimbus:
It's not a disease; it's an evolution.
I prefer my Tan kthxbai.
Enjoy skin cancer kthxbai. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 2770 Joined: 13 Feb 2008 | Nimbus:
It's not a disease; it's an evolution.
That can be true most of the time. The fact that we can now do so many different things online, such as shopping, research, study, sometimes jobs, and just play games means that people do a lot more from one location.
Sometimes it does get out of hand though. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 4135 Joined: 6 Sep 2008 | I happen to believe that ADD is an adaptation (not exactly an evolution) as opposed to a disorder. As for internet addiction, it's likly addicting in the same way overeating or masturbation is. Your brain associates the internet with certain chemicals it finds pleasurable, that activity becomes a pleasurable activity, and when you rely on that activity almost singularly to recieve your brains dose of "happy chemicals" then your addicted. Beating it is a matter of experimentation outside your confort zone and conseling. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 2776 Joined: 20 Jul 2008 | Wow... I'm rather shocked that they didn't try and cover this up or blame it those monks or anyone else for that matter. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1751 Joined: 22 Oct 2008 | I consider internet "addiction" a good thing. If I could get a 3G modem installed in my brain, I would. |
Paperboy Posts: 48 Joined: 12 Nov 2008 | Pathetic.
If I read for 6 hours a day it doesn't mean I'm addicted I'm reading an interesting novel.
If going down the beach for a surf was not so difficult a thing to organise for most people you would see people surfing every day.
I quite often go out and spend 6 hours whenever the opportunity presents itself hanging out with friends.
I simply find the internet interesting, fun, it's not addictive just I would prefer to spend my time on the internet than do other things.
A long time ago I was "addicted" to the internet (what a ridiculous notion). I would spend 10 hours a day online, I found a job and instead only spent 5-6 after work online. Why did I do this? Lack of a social life, plain and simple I didn't have many friends or any other method of entertainment that I enjoyed more than the internet so that's where I parked my ass... I was not addicted it was just a simple choice that I would much rather spend my 6 hours on the internet than watching TV, boring myself with my family or out wasting away in some club getting aids and god knows what else.
The day I found something more interesting than the internet I just stopped, I couldn't be bothered I had better things to spend my time doing. If I'm addicted to anything in this world it's enjoying myself... Or just maybe I might (crazy idea here) enjoy enjoying myself.
I don't believe in internet addiction, people just do what they find fun, I didn't have much else to amuse me so I amused myself with the internet. I was what would be considered a classic case of internet addiction, I didn't struggle to give it up, I don't regret the time I spent enjoying myself when the alternatives were lame, all it took was something mroe interesting and I shrugged and turned off my computer.
If people think the internet is the most interesting thing going for them find something more interesting or accept it isn't an issue just an alternative that the media loves so much to demonize.
End. |
Beat Writer Posts: 209 Joined: 2 Jan 2008 | Nimbus:
rougeknife:
Nimbus:
It's not a disease; it's an evolution.
I prefer my Tan kthxbai.
Enjoy skin cancer kthxbai.
Only if your a fucking idiot kthxbai. |
Infamous Scribbler Posts: 617 Joined: 22 Oct 2008 | Blade3dge:
Pathetic.
If I read for 6 hours a day it doesn't mean I'm addicted I'm reading an interesting novel.
If going down the beach for a surf was not so difficult a thing to organise for most people you would see people surfing every day.
I quite often go out and spend 6 hours whenever the opportunity presents itself hanging out with friends.
I simply find the internet interesting, fun, it's not addictive just I would prefer to spend my time on the internet than do other things.
A long time ago I was "addicted" to the internet (what a ridiculous notion). I would spend 10 hours a day online, I found a job and instead only spent 5-6 after work online. Why did I do this? Lack of a social life, plain and simple I didn't have many friends or any other method of entertainment that I enjoyed more than the internet so that's where I parked my ass... I was not addicted it was just a simple choice that I would much rather spend my 6 hours on the internet than watching TV, boring myself with my family or out wasting away in some club getting aids and god knows what else.
The day I found something more interesting than the internet I just stopped, I couldn't be bothered I had better things to spend my time doing. If I'm addicted to anything in this world it's enjoying myself... Or just maybe I might (crazy idea here) enjoy enjoying myself.
I don't believe in internet addiction, people just do what they find fun, I didn't have much else to amuse me so I amused myself with the internet. I was what would be considered a classic case of internet addiction, I didn't struggle to give it up, I don't regret the time I spent enjoying myself when the alternatives were lame, all it took was something mroe interesting and I shrugged and turned off my computer.
If people think the internet is the most interesting thing going for them find something more interesting or accept it isn't an issue just an alternative that the media loves so much to demonize.
End.
I agree when people find something new and enjoyable and spend a lot of time on it it becomes an addiction. I mean what if you like putting puzzles together or building models if you put a lot of time into it does that mean your addicted? |
Internet Addiction: Coming To China In 2009
China is expected to become the first nation in the world to recognize "internet addiction" as a clinical disorder and register the condition with the World Health Organization.
The Times Online says the Chinese Health Ministry plans to adopt the diagnosis next year, based on years of research by Chinese psychologists. Tao Ran, who set up China's first internet addiction clinic at the Military General Hospital in Beijing, said his studies of more than 3000 people over four years led him to determine that the condition is legitimate, similar to compulsive gambling or alcoholism. "China finds itself at the forefront of this research because we were among the earliest to set up clinics," he said. "We had a sufficient sample of patients so that we could carry out proper scientific analysis."
Tao said internet addicts spend 6.13 hours per day online, a figure that matches up nicely with that of experts in the U.S., who say that 6.14 hours represents addiction; in the U.S., however, internet addiction is not recognized as an actual illness. Officials in China estimate that about ten percent of "young users," the great majority of whom are male, are addicted to the internet, while research by media company InterActiveCorp found that 42 percent of young users in China felt addicted to the internet, compared with only 18 percent in the U.S.
Tao added that internet addiction is often a symptom of deeper psychological issues, pointing out that behavioral problems, criminal activity and drug use often preceded the addiction; according to statistics compiled by the Beijing Public Security Bureau, about 76 percent of "juvenile criminals" are addicted to the internet. Some addicts also experience suicidal tendencies, Tao said.
He noted that unlike drugs, the internet does not create a dependency, and claims about a 70 percent success rate in curing his patients. The spread of internet addiction appears to be slowing in China as well, which he attributed to the rapid expansion of treatment clinics across the country. "The increase now is not as rapid as it was a few years ago," he said. "However, this was the first such clinic in China when it opened in 2005. Now there are several hundred across the country."
via: Ars Technica
(photo)
Permalink