Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Medicine
Published in: BMC Medicine 1/2010

Open Access 01-12-2010 | Commentary

Internet addiction: a 21stcentury epidemic?

Author: Dimitri A Christakis

Published in: BMC Medicine | Issue 1/2010

Login to get access

Abstract

Internet addiction, while not yet officially codified within a psychopathological framework, is growing both in prevalence and within the public consciousness as a potentially problematic condition with many parallels to existing recognized disorders. The rapid and unfettered increase in the number of people accessing a relatively unrestricted internet substantially increases the possibility that those suffering with an underlying psychological comorbidity may be at serious risk of developing an addiction to the internet, lending further credence to this hitherto understudied condition. In this commentary, I outline my recommendations for improved diagnosis, study and prevention of internet addiction.
Literature
1.
Jang KS, Hwang SY, Choi JY: Internet addiction and psychiatric symptoms among Korean adolescents. J School Health. 2008, 78 (3): 165-171. 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2007.00279.x.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Kaltiala-Heino R, Lintonen T, Rimpela A: Internet addiction? Potentially problematic use of the Internet in a population of 12-18 year-old adolescents. Addiction Res Theory. 2004, 12 (1): 89-96. 10.1080/1606635031000098796.CrossRef
3.
Pallanti S, Bernardi S, Quercioli L: The Shorter PROMIS Questionnaire and the Internet Addiction Scale in the assessment of multiple addictions in a high-school population: prevalence and related disability. CNS Spectr. 2006, 11 (12): 966-974.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Siomos KE, Dafouli ED, Braimiotis DA, Mouzas OD, Angelopoulos NV: Internet addiction among Greek adolescent students. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2008, 11 (6): 653-657. 10.1089/cpb.2008.0088.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Villella C, Martinotti G, Di Nicola M, Cassano M, La Torre G, Gliubizzi MD, Messeri I, Petruccelli F, Bria P, Janiri L, Conte G: Behavioural addictions in adolescents and young adults: results from a prevalence study. J Gambl Stud. 2010
6.
Zboralski K, Orzechowska A, Talarowska M, Darmosz A, Janiak A, Janiak M, Florkowski A, Gałecki P: The prevalence of computer and internet addiction among pupils. Postepy Hig Med Dosw (Online). 2009, 63: 8-12.
7.
Ghassemzadeh L, Shahraray M, Moradi A: Prevalence of internet addiction and comparison of internet addicts and non-addicts in Iranian high schools. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2008, 11 (6): 731-733. 10.1089/cpb.2007.0243.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Canbaz S, Sunter AT, Peksen Y, Canbaz MA: Prevalence of the pathological internet use in a sample of Turkish school adolescents. Iranian J Public Health. 2009, 38 (4): 64-71.
9.
Canan F, Ataoglu A, Nichols LA, Yildirim T, Ozturk O: Evaluation of psychometric properties of the internet addiction scale in a sample of Turkish high school students. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2010, 13 (3): 317-320. 10.1089/cyber.2009.0160.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Cao F, Su L: Internet addiction among Chinese adolescents: prevalence and psychological features. Child Care Health Dev. 2007, 33 (3): 275-281. 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00715.x.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Deng YX, Hu M, Hu GQ, Wang LS, Sun ZQ: An investigation on the prevalence of internet addiction disorder in middle school students of Hunan province. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi. 2007, 28 (5): 445-448.PubMed
12.
Ko CH, Yen JY, Yen CF, Lin HC, Yang MJ: Factors predictive for incidence and remission of internet addiction in young adolescents: a prospective study. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2007, 10 (4): 545-551. 10.1089/cpb.2007.9992.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Park SK, Kim JY, Cho CB: Prevalence of internet addiction and correlations with family factors among South Korean adolescents. Adolescence. 2008, 43 (172): 895-909.PubMed
14.
Song XQ, Zheng L, Li Y, Yu DX, Wang ZZ: Status of 'Internet addiction disorder' (IAD) and its risk factors among first-grade junior students in Wuhan. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi. 2010, 31 (1): 14-17.PubMed
15.
Wu J, Lin G, Lin L: Analysis of the situation of internet use and the related health-risky behaviors among the youngsters in Guangzhou City. J Trop Med (Guangzhou). 2007, 7 (8): 816-818.
16.
Xu J, Shen LX, Yan CH, Wu ZQ, Ma ZZ, Jin XM, Shen XM: Internet addiction among Shanghai adolescents: prevalence and epidemiological features. Zhonghua Yufang Yixue Zazhi. 2008, 42 (10): 735-738.PubMed
17.
Wang YL, Wang JP, Fu DD: Epidemiological investigation on internet addiction among internet users in elementary and middle school students. Chin Mental Health J. 2008, 22 (9): 678-682.
18.
Young KS, Rogers RC: The relationship between depression and internet addiction. CyberPsychol Behavior. 1998, 1 (1): 25-28. 10.1089/cpb.1998.1.25.CrossRef
19.
Young KS: Internet addiction: the emergence of a new clinical disorder. CyberPsychol Behavior. 1998, 1 (3): 237-244. 10.1089/cpb.1998.1.237.CrossRef
20.
Block JJ: Issues for DSM-V: Internet addiction. Am J Psych. 2008, 165 (3): 306-307. 10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07101556.CrossRef
21.
Cao F, Su L: Internet addiction among Chinese adolescents: prevalence and psychological features. Child Care Health Dev. 2007, 33 (3): 275-281. 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00715.x.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Widyanto L, McMurran M: The psychometric properties of the Internet addiction test. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2004, 7 (4): 443-450. 10.1089/cpb.2004.7.443.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Niemz K, Griffiths M, Banyard P: Prevalence of pathological internet use among university students and correlations with self-esteem, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and disinhibition. CyberPsychol Behav. 2005, 8 (6): 562-570. 10.1089/cpb.2005.8.562.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Ko CH, Yen JY, Chen CS, Yeh YC, Yen CF: Predictive values of psychiatric symptoms for internet addiction in adolescents: a 2-year prospective study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009, 163 (10): 937-943. 10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.159.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Fortson BL, Scotti JR, Chen YC, Malone J, Del Ben KS: Internet use, abuse, and dependence among students at a southeastern regional university. J Am College Health. 2007, 56 (2): 137-10.3200/JACH.56.2.137-146.CrossRef
26.
Knop J, Penick EC, Nickel EJ, Mortensen EL, Sullivan MA, Murtaza S, Jensen P, Manzardo AM, Gabrielli WF: Childhood ADHD and conduct disorder as independent predictors of male alcohol dependence at age 40. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2009, 70 (2): 169-177.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
27.
Lopez B, Schwartz SJ, Prado G, Huang S, Rothe EM, Wang W, Pantin H: Correlates of early alcohol and drug use in Hispanic adolescents: examining the role of ADHD with comorbid conduct disorder, family, school, and peers. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2008, 37 (4): 820-832. 10.1080/15374410802359676.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
28.
Romer Thomsen K, Callesen MB, Linnet J, Kringelbach ML, Moller A: Severity of gambling is associated with severity of depressive symptoms in pathological gamblers. Behav Pharmacol. 2009, 20 (5-6): 527-536. 10.1097/FBP.0b013e3283305e7a.CrossRefPubMed
29.
Lenhart A, Madden M, Hitlin P: Teens and Technology: Youth are Leading the Transition to a Fully Wired and Mobile Nation. 2005, Pew Internet and American Life Project
30.
Christakis DA, Zimmerman FJ: The Elephant in the Living Room: Make Television work for your Kids. 2006, Emmaus, PA: Rodale
31.
American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Public Education: Media education. Pediatrics. 1999, 104 (2 Pt 1): 341-343.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Internet addiction: a 21stcentury epidemic?
Author
Dimitri A Christakis
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medicine / Issue 1/2010
Electronic ISSN: 1741-7015
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-8-61

Other articles of this Issue 1/2010

BMC Medicine 1/2010 Go to the issue

Research article

Routine resite of peripheral intravenous devices every 3 days did not reduce complications compared with clinically indicated resite: a randomised controlled trial

Debate

The impact of herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia on quality-of-life

Research article

An evaluation of inflammatory gene polymorphisms in sibships discordant for premature coronary artery disease: the GRACE-IMMUNE study

Correspondence

CONSORT 2010 Statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials

Research article

The cytoprotective drug amifostine modifies both expression and activity of the pro-angiogenic factor VEGF-A

Research article

Clinically significant changes in burden and depression among dementia caregivers following nursing home admission