Title:Internet Addiction: A Brief Summary of Research and Practice
Volume: 8
Issue: 4
Author(s): Hilarie Cash, Cosette D. Rae, Ann H. Steel and Alexander Winkler
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Addiction, Computer, Internet, reSTART, Treatment, iteration, practitioners, pathological, Demetrovics, Szeredi, Pozsa
Abstract: Problematic computer use is a growing social issue which is being debated worldwide. Internet Addiction
Disorder (IAD) ruins lives by causing neurological complications, psychological disturbances, and social problems.
Surveys in the United States and Europe have indicated alarming prevalence rates between 1.5 and 8.2% [1]. There are
several reviews addressing the definition, classification, assessment, epidemiology, and co-morbidity of IAD [2-5], and
some reviews [6-8] addressing the treatment of IAD. The aim of this paper is to give a preferably brief overview of
research on IAD and theoretical considerations from a practical perspective based on years of daily work with clients
suffering from Internet addiction. Furthermore, with this paper we intend to bring in practical experience in the debate
about the eventual inclusion of IAD in the next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM).
