# Internet Addiction link to ADHD, Depression and Social Phobia



## Soldoc (Oct 2, 2009)

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/05/depression.adhd.internet.addiction/index.html

Some children and teens are more likely than their peers to become addicted to the Internet, and a new study suggests it's more likely to happen if kids are depressed, hostile, or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or social phobia.
Teenagers who use the Internet so much that it interferes with everyday life and decision-making may be addicted.

Teenagers who use the Internet so much that it interferes with everyday life and decision-making may be addicted.

Although an Internet addiction is not an official diagnosis, signs of a potential problem include using the Internet so much for game playing or other purposes that it interferes with everyday life and decision-making ability. (The diagnosis is being considered for the 2012 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the "bible" of mental ailments published by the American Psychiatric Association).

Past research suggests that 1.4 percent to 17.9 percent of adolescents are addicted to the Internet, with percentages higher in Eastern nations than in Western nations, according to the study published Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The Internet as therapy

In the survey of 2,293 seventh-grade students in Taiwan, 10.8 percent developed an Internet addiction, which was determined by a high score on an Internet addiction scale. Definitions vary, but an Internet addiction usually includes symptoms such as spending a lot of time on the Internet (especially more time than intended), an inability to cut back on usage, a preoccupation with online activities, and symptoms of withdrawal such as anxiety, boredom, or irritability after a few days of not going online.

The researchers from Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, in Taiwan, followed the youngsters for two years and found that ADHD and hostility were linked to Internet addiction in children in general. In girls--but not boys--depression and social phobia also predicted problems. Health.com: Therapy that can help depression

Boys were at a higher risk of Internet addiction than girls, and those who used the Internet for more than 20 hours a week, every day, or for online gaming, were at higher risk as well.
Health Library

* MayoClinic.com: Depression
* MayoClinic.com: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children

Michael Gilbert, a senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, says the findings were no surprise.

"The study's indication that children who are hyperactive or diagnosed ADHD are finding an outlet on the Web makes such perfect sense," he says, because those children crave the constant stimulation of fast-paced video games and interactive social networks. Health.com: What your teen needs to know about sex

Kids with depression, anger issues, or social problems also turn to the Internet as therapy, adds Gilbert, who was not involved in the study. "They can take on an avatar or a different identity, and can contact other kids with the same problems and social inadequacies; they don't have to function in conventional social ways."

And while Gilbert is not surprised by the research--he regularly studies the impact of the Internet and cell phone usage on family relationships--he says it's important that it is given the attention it deserves.

"I don't get the feeling when I talk to therapists that they really understand the concept of addiction to the Internet," he says. "They think more in terms of pornography sites or gambling sites specifically, but Internet addiction itself is not fully understood yet by the therapeutic community."

What parents, doctors, and teachers can do

Internet addiction may be not as widespread in the U.S.--or at least not as well recognized--as in Asian countries. In 2008, for example, a Chinese survey showed that more than four million teenagers spend more than six hours a day online. Health.com: How to care for someone who is suicidal

But if at-risk children--such as those identified in the Taiwanese study--are given sufficient time and exposure without careful monitoring, Internet addiction could easily become one of the most chronic childhood diseases in America, says Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis of the Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, in Seattle.

Our culture practically mandates time online, he says, with Wi-Fi connections in coffee shops and BlackBerries and iPhones that allow Internet access almost anywhere. "It would be as if we mandated that everyone drink two beers every day or everyone gamble for an hour every day," says Christakis.

Internet addiction among younger generations may often go unnoticed, however, because parents and pediatricians themselves are using the Web more than they'd like. Health.com: Health hazards hidden in college dorms

Since adolescents cannot easily avoid computers, treatment for addiction cannot simply involve abstaining from the Internet, says Christakis. Parents, educators, and medical professionals need to identify high-risk children early on and monitor their Internet usage to prevent problem behavior from forming.

Time on the Internet needs to be monitored as well, especially for children who may be at high risk for addiction because of depression, ADHD, or social problems, says Christakis.

"You can't tell a kid never to use the Internet the way you'd tell an alcoholic never to have a drink again," he adds. "But parents need to be thinking about what types of Internet or online gaming are particularly addictive. Ones that allow for continuous, real-time feedback are particularly risky."

Gilbert says that families should strive to make the Internet a healthy part of their home life. "Putting the computer in a very public place, like the hallway, can integrate the Internet into normal life, rather than it becoming something you go off and do in secret," he says. Health.com: I'm bipolar and struggle with addiction

Teachers and health-care professionals should also take the potential for Internet addiction seriously, according to Christakis, who cowrote an editorial published with the study. "Our intention in raising this concern is not to be alarmist but rather to alert pediatricians to what might become a major public health problem for the United States in the 21st century," he writes.

The National Science Council of Taiwan funded the study.


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## QuackQuack (Mar 18, 2008)

Soldoc said:


> Teenagers who use the Internet so much that it interferes with everyday life and decision-making may be addicted.


What's this "everyday life" you speak of?


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## inerameia (Jan 26, 2012)

I have a real problem with compulsive internet use. I'm on probably 90% of my waking hours


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Don't forget FATNESS!


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## bpl4268 (May 20, 2013)

omofca said:


> I have a real problem with compulsive internet use. I'm on probably 90% of my waking hours


Me as well, lol its bad.


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## march_hare (Jan 18, 2006)

omofca said:


> I have a real problem with compulsive internet use. I'm on probably 90% of my waking hours


Yep.


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## mike91 (Sep 23, 2012)

i used to play online games for 14-16 hours a day 10 hours min but when i cut it was hard i was bored i would say it probly made my sa worse


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## meepie (Jun 20, 2010)

Even though I wanna do this







to my computer sometimes, I still want to get on the internet.


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## march_hare (Jan 18, 2006)

meepie said:


> Even though I wanna do this
> 
> 
> 
> ...


that little gif makes me lol 

I wish Icould throw my computer... But it seems like it's impossible to function in society these days without using the internet :-/


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## noscreenname (Feb 24, 2013)

People who have little contact with others are addicted to a social medium which lets them anonymously interact with people to satisfy their latent desires. Amazing.


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## max87 (Aug 7, 2010)

Ah. So this might have to do with it!


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## phillyy (Mar 6, 2013)

So which one causes which?


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## iAmCodeMonkey (May 23, 2010)

Not another weird study again...

Let's move on people.


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## pudderkiz (Jun 18, 2012)

Slap some ADHD on there, credibility reached over 9000.


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## enfield (Sep 4, 2010)

phillyy said:


> So which one causes which?


i think the way it's titled is supposed to make it seem like it's internet addiction which contributes to the mental illnesses. since when you say X is linked to Y it is probably inferred X is a cause of Y. you could say X and Y found to be related to each other, or correlated with each other, to sound more neutral about the what causes what question. 
but that would be boring.

and it's also boring if internet addiction is just another behavior of the mentally ill. that's kind of uninteresting. but if the behavior is the cause of mental illness, well that's exciting and now i might just click the link.

but the first lines from the article indicate the title is misleading and it's not mental illness that leads to the internet addiction, but the reverse



> Some children and teens are more likely than their peers to become addicted to the Internet, and a new study suggests it's more likely to happen if kids are depressed, hostile, or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or social phobia.


so the point of the title was to draw me in, not tell me what caused what.


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## Sacrieur (Jan 14, 2013)

Which are also in turn linked to introversion...


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## enfield (Sep 4, 2010)

and eventually it will be discovered that sacrieur is linked to enfield...


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## Sacrieur (Jan 14, 2013)

enfield said:


> and eventually it will be discovered that sacrieur is linked to enfield...


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## sarahcm (Jun 3, 2013)

This is scary because I have SAD, ADD, and depression. I really need to start limiting my time online.


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## TSpes (Jan 20, 2013)

QuackQuack said:


> What's this "everyday life" you speak of?


link please


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## maryaisleen (Jan 14, 2014)

I agree with these findings my 8 year old son was recently addicted to computer games to the point of suffering great anxiety when having to log off the computer he would cry and make a fuss and never wanted to leave the house.I have since cut down on his computer time in addition to taking him to a counselor who he loves.I have seen a vast improvement in him since taking these steps.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

It's all about the isolation. We were not made to function alone. We need other people. :yes


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## DeeperUnderstanding (May 19, 2007)

millenniumman75 said:


> It's all about the isolation. We were not made to function alone. We need other people. :yes


Agree completely.


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## Rocklover639 (Jan 3, 2011)

Makes sense. I got my first computer when I was around 11 and before that I had friends I would hang out and talk to females without being nervous. I then moved away at 12 and felt lonely so began getting into computer games and then I just became naturally shy and had great anxiety when meeting the new kids in the my school.


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## ShapesinO (Jan 16, 2014)

millenniumman75 said:


> It's all about the isolation. We were not made to function alone. We need other people. :yes


truth.


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## RonHasAnxiety (Mar 28, 2012)

*The study makes sense*

My mother got a computer around 1994 and got the Internet shortly after. Looking back, that was probably when my real problems began. I had friends and was able to communicate with people. I isolated myself for years, and i still spend far too much time on the computer. Most of my waking hours in fact. I am totally addicted to the internet.


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## Captainmycaptain (Sep 23, 2012)

millenniumman75 said:


> It's all about the isolation. We were not made to function alone. We need other people. :yes


I agree that isolation at the least makes things worse. It is impossible to improve isolated. With that said, it is very very hard for me to make friends, so isolation is often not choice at this point.


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## Joe (May 18, 2010)

I always played video games a lot even before anxiety. The reason I played them so much during my anxiety years was because I literally didn't have any friends to go out with. It might of caused me to be more isolated than I would of normally been though, which could of made things worse. I made a few friends because of it though but seeing how ****e my life is those friends probably weren't anything important.

So for me it wasn't likely to be the cause (I wasn't allowed out the house until I was like 13 anyway though) but maybe made things worse.


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## James1311 (Dec 31, 2012)

I think it more the other way around. Depression & Anxiety lead people towards spending time on the internet.


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## MrKappa (Mar 18, 2013)

I believe it is simple conditioning, based on pleasure and reward. Normally we find the internet a pleasant safe rewarding means to spend time. Not only a fanstasy TV, but interactive. Like mice pulling levers for food. It's called classical conditioning, more or less, in psychology terms.

When people get aggressive, yeah, I'll say it probably has something to do with the way pleasure and reward is interpreted in the dopamine and frontal lobe system.

You just don't hear it that much these days, but yeah, pleasure and reward, and communication to a large degree is found in the frontal lobe and dopamine system.

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Dopamine-Functions.aspx



> Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released by the brain that plays a number of roles in humans and other animals. Some of its notable functions are in:
> 
> movement
> memory
> ...


From the original OPs article.



> Some children and teens are more likely than their peers to become addicted to the Internet, and a new study suggests it's more likely to happen if kids are depressed, hostile, or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or social phobia.


Consider flooding or augmenting your dopamine system so that it is much more deep in terms of pleasure reward capabilities.

Your anger will disappear, you feel little need to be aggressive with others. And so on...

In other words, or a theoretical example is this. Someone who is depressed has a pleasure system capable of filling a condom, with holes in it. Yet someone who is healthy has a pleasure system capable of holding a large balloon worth of pleasure, and has one hole in it.

When we fill them with water, which is the pleasure it runs out, and as soon as it runs out, we seek more. Sometimes aggressively. That's what keeps us hooked to the internet. Instant gratification, but on a relatively small scale.

I am no neuroscientist, or chemistry major, and I am only explaining it as to how I experience changes in my dopamine/frontal lobe system.

Consider cranks, people who have had their frontal lobe and dopamine system crushed by an anvil. A different type of depression but a mood deficit none the less.

Think of someone who is "heavily depressed", or feels somber and sleepy all the time. Well, they might have a large balloon worth of pleasure reservoirs, but a much larger serotonin reservoir filling up the head, and leaving less room for the dopamine balloon.

http://www.bu.edu/writingprogram/journal/issue-5/mcclenathan/



> Serotonin Keeps You Sad and Sleepy
> 
> Neurotransmitter manipulation shows that an imbalance in serotonin may cause simultaneous depression and sleep disorder symptoms.


It is all fine balance. Right?

Again, I am no neuroscientist, or doctor, and am only sharing an analogy based on my personal experiences experimenting with these concepts.


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## HollaFlower (Jan 24, 2014)

Any utility or leisurely function on the internet that gives you the option to identify yourself will effect your behaviour. We live in a generation where most of us probably haven't even considered where we stood in the spectrum of social identity prior to social media, or the many technological advancements we constantly have available to us. 

But at the same time we have to accept it as a part of our new culture.

Internet addiction is too broad of a claim though. It's like saying someone is addicted to chemicals. What you do on the internet, how you spend that time, and where(having your laptop in bed with you will associate your bed with wakefulness, for example)
will really shift the context.


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## BoxedIn (Jan 29, 2014)

Oddly.. I dunno what I would do w/o the internet. I watch movies, do work, play games... 

Sure sometimes I really want to go out and do something crazy like sky diving and rafting but how when your so self-concious of urself?


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## xgodmetashogun (Apr 2, 2013)

millenniumman75 said:


> It's all about the isolation. We were not made to function alone. We need other people. :yes


yea I see it as a limitation, finding company in books and music is good aswell,but still can get depressing, If only i could trust others


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## xgodmetashogun (Apr 2, 2013)

BoxedIn said:


> Oddly.. I dunno what I would do w/o the internet. I watch movies, do work, play games...
> 
> Sure sometimes I really want to go out and do something crazy like sky diving and rafting but how when your so self-concious of urself?


yea man I know how u feel


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## Confused92 (Feb 4, 2011)

I use my laptop a lot, I am on the internet very often, but who doesn't?


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## HollaFlower (Jan 24, 2014)

If you're able to admit you're on your laptop all day, that's good. And if you do use a laptop, I would highly suggest not using it in your room for any leisure activities. You'll start to notice that it's not what you were doing that intrigued you, but the comfort you felt by being hidden in your room. I often go through phases of deleting fb, or disconnecting internet when I need to get things done, or not rely on things to fill my free time.


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## Len Phelbs (Jan 21, 2014)

James1311 said:


> I think it more the other way around. Depression & Anxiety lead people towards spending time on the internet.


I'm leaning this way also, my internet use is fairly 50/50 productive and mindless entertainment. Honestly haven't written anything aside from posts on here and a few other sites in months. working on yourself and keeping in contact (even through the internet) with people doign the same definately offers me some value though I'm probably spending too many hoiurs on twitter/tv or other net spirals because I'm on my own alot


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## Octobird (Jan 22, 2014)

So.. Does SA cause internet addiction, or internet addiction causes SA? Or perhaps both come hand-in-hand?


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## DouglasNA (Jul 12, 2013)

I think its more the chicken and the egg

that SAD ppl get attracted to the internet not that the internet makes them SAD

but like all things its a vicious cycle get rejected or picked on spent more time away from bad things like that so you go online then feel a bit better or distracted from your wows then you start getting more SAD and stay online more and so on

so yea I am adidcted to the intenet but if I won the lotto or had a life I would only use the internet for skype and downloading tv shows movies

edit if i won the lotto I might as well buy the movies so internet for skype it is


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## Roadkill1337 (Sep 16, 2013)

Peregrínus said:


> I have a real problem with compulsive internet use. I'm on probably 90% of my waking hours


I hear people say that spending any more than two or three hours on the Internet a day is bad, and I'm like: :sus I spend more than twelve hours a day on the Internet. I wake up usually around 10:00am, get on my laptop at 10:15am, and then be online doing or reading about something until about 10:00pm - only getting up to use the bathroom or prepare food (which doesn't take more than ten minutes because it is usually a microwaveable dinner).


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## Sync (Jun 20, 2014)

Soldoc said:


> Teenagers who use the Internet so much that it interferes with everyday life and decision-making may be addicted.


So if you don't have a job or any friends, then I guess you can't be addicted to the internet since you don't have an 'everyday life' to be interfered with in the first place.


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## Clocky321 (Jun 19, 2014)

True that buddy


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## ourwater (Jun 2, 2012)

If I posted the voice memos of my therapy, the video I made of the support call to social security, my own safety would be at risk.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

:sigh

I knew this would be CNN as soon as I saw it.

Anyway, this can't be. My "internet addiction" must have gone back in time to before there was an internet to be "addicted to" and caused my SA in the past so it would have me in it's filthy clutches when the future eventually came along. 

I knew there was something I could not define causing me to be this way all along. Now I know. It was the evil internet all along!


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## phillyy (Mar 6, 2013)

I used to be on my computer and on the internet all the time, almost 8 hours a day when I was younger. Then I realized that it may be limiting my social life and making me "weird" so I stopped playing all the online games I did and stopped browsing forums and stuff. I started exercising more and spending time with my friends and family. I still had a hard time making friends or holding conversations with people in social situations. I still don't use the internet much since Ive gotten busy in College and compared to 6 or 7 years ago I am in significantly better shape, much better looking and obviously a lot smarter. It hasn't changed anything about my SA. I still don't have many friends, I'm afraid to go out when invited, and when I feel like going out, nobody else wants to. I can't do job interviews to save my life. When I think about it, I was a lot happier back then than I am now.


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## deeeanabanana (Jul 7, 2013)

don't say


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## SapphicDysphoria (Aug 24, 2014)

Ah *****, I have all of the above, to varying degrees xD

"1.4 percent to 17.9 percent of adolescents are addicted to the Internet"
...pretty broad estimate lol

Not going to lie, I certainly have an internet addiction & sadly it's interfered with many of the things I used to enjoy doing offline, but I wouldn't say it _causes_ ADHD, depression, or social phobia... just makes it worse.


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## angelsfood (Jul 24, 2014)

Limit yourselves to one day, maybe not even for the whole day, once a week, maybe even more spread out like once a month. Personally, I've done enough research on the big thing that was bothering me and I've got it now, so it's just little things like shopping online for books, clothes, trees and I mean fruit trees not smoking, drugs, ect., so it's will. Use it.


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## overthelake (Jun 22, 2014)

Well ets see... hah... 

I was teased relentlessly from 2nd grade to HS. One way I dealt with it was many of my friends were 4-5 years younger than me, so they didn't know as much about how much I was bullied and also saw me as the older kid. And almost all of them I met on the school bus going home, so I didn't have to work hard. I DID have a couple friends in my own class who I occasionally visited outside school, but I lost them in 7th-8th grade. I was bullied a lot more in 7th-8th grade too. It was hell.

I'd say I had a healthy number of friends up until 8th grade. I lost them all. Hard to explain how it happened. Either they stopped calling or they started teasing me or I stopped calling them.

Keep in mind during all that time I played lots of video games on nintendo and turbo graphics. I loved video games. I've always had good reflexes and liked how fast paced they were. (AS I got older, i started to prefer more strategic, slower-paced games, especially in my late 20's and 30's.)

The teasing didn't slow down until I was a junior in HS. That's when I started to say "Hi" to people more often in the hallway. I'm not sure if the teasing slowed down before I started saying "Hi" or after. I got a computer when I was a sophmoore. Of course, I used my computer religiously. I played the s*** out of games like Jetfighter II and Silent Service and M1 Tank Platoon. I loved military PC games back then. I also programmed in QBasic and Assembly. That was my first exposure to it.

Another thing I'll say is I also played sports all through those years, up until I was a junior in HS. I'm not just the nerdy guy who exclusively uses computers and drowns himself in books. I did do good in math and writing, but I also was athletic and loved sports. In gradeschool I was outdoors so much more than HS, mainly because of friends. If I was indoors back then I was usually playing video games.

I later went to community college and got a degree in microcomputer programming and networking. All through that time I used my computer constantly. I'd say I started using the internet when I was a junior. I was the first person in my household to use it. I did a lot of chatting back then. Didn't play any onlie games yet. I started playing online games in 1999, 2 years after graduating HS.

I stopped playing console games sometime around 2001. I really loved racing games on the playstation and n64. After that I exclusively played PC games. Mostly RPGs and MMORPGs and strategy games.

I'd say I've been addicted to my computer since HS.

If someone said I have auspergers or autism or adhd, I'd probably not be surprised. But I'll also say my gpa in HS was 3.8. In college it was 3.8. The only bad grades were when I dropped classes. It's pathetic because even as I did good in school, I did miserable outside it. The reason I think I have some SA is because I've been self-conscious in the past. I don't think my SA is severe because I can do essential functions without anxiety, like shopping, for example. However, when someone gets into my head, I can act stupidly and/or anxiously. I'm overly sensitive to woman too. They're usually pretty and I always feel inferior to most guys around me. In the past I could barely function if I thought a girl was attractive, even if I knew she was married. And of course I can be bothered by the kind people who're ambitious and social. I can't relate to them and it makes me feel broken. I also feel out of place around employed people, since I'm not employed myself. In general, when I talk to people, it feels artificial.

Lately the past week I've been thinking on a different level than the past. In the past, I used my computer to "cope" with my problems. One of hte excuses I gave myself was writing and programming are my only notable skills, so why not focus on them? I can do both on the computer. Even as I said those things to myself and tried to program, I still spent too much time gaming and/or sitting at my computer deteriorating physically. I never really thought about how much all of this is going to impact my health or how much my addiction to games might stop me from accomplishing things.

I really do not think programming or writing on my computer is the answer. At heart, I'm a very athletic person who needs the outdoors not just to be in shape but to reach my potential. It might be i can use computers in a healthy manner, but without that link to the outdoors it's all futile and doomed to fail. I also think by cultivating a more outdoor life I'll be more likely to have friends and look for work. Without having that, it's so much harder to have the motivation I need to step outside my rooom.

It may be too late, but I'll try to mold myself into someone who has a broader range of experiences, especially outside this house where I've lived my whole life. One thing always on my mind these past few days is: whatever I do, it's got to be different than what I've done in the past.

Please note, it's 1:20pm on my taskbar. I started using my computer at approx. 10am. If the past few months are a guide, I'll take a break to go to the bathroom and do a few things around the house. Then I'll use the computer until lunch. I'll eat and go back to use the computer for a few hours. AFterwards, I usualy go for a walk, before returning to make dinner and use the computer some more. In sum, I will have used my computer about 7-10 hours before I get into my bed. Personally, this is too much. It's hard because I don't have a lot of moeny and we live in the country. I need to find ways to break up my afternoon by going to town more often or something. I can spend some of hte money I have on these things on the bet it's like kick starting an underused engine, but what if I run out before it does any good? I'm not sure what I need to do, but if it leads to me getting some work, I need to do it. In the past, work is like night and day. It makes me feel so mcuh better. GETTING work is hard.

And then there's my neck. I'm not sure how it'd respond to part-time or full-time work. I have to think I'll be fine because I've done some work for friends and I can mow our lawn. I can go on 2-3 hour walks. I can run up the hill down the street after a mile walk. I just have trouble looking left and down or up for long periods - neck gets tight. My neck gets tight especially when I'm sitting at this computer for long hours. I also have to look left a lot while driving. But honestly I think I'm tough enough to work, despite all this. What has this wolrd come to when a man like myself - who probably can work - doesn't?


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## JakeStarr (Sep 24, 2014)

how in the world can the internet be addicting??? oh yeah porn, games, porn, porn, games, fun software, trolling, porn... it's a shame they killed online gambling... but that's ok cause we can still fake gamble and at all ages ... life on the internet is great... you can be anything you desire... you can even pretend your a human... no one really knows what you are on the end... i could be a flying spider horse with 8 legs and wings... who knows... the best part is google knows everything and youtube has a terrible tutorial for it... how could life be any better?


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## JakeStarr (Sep 24, 2014)

overthelake said:


> Well ets see... hah...
> 
> Please note, it's 1:20pm on my taskbar. I started using my computer at approx. 10am. If the past few months are a guide, I'll take a break to go to the bathroom and do a few things around the house. Then I'll use the computer until lunch. I'll eat and go back to use the computer for a few hours. AFterwards, I usualy go for a walk, before returning to make dinner and use the computer some more. In sum, I will have used my computer about 7-10 hours before I get into my bed. Personally, this is too much. It's hard because I don't have a lot of moeny and we live in the country. I need to find ways to break up my afternoon by going to town more often or something. I can spend some of hte money I have on these things on the bet it's like kick starting an underused engine, but what if I run out before it does any good? I'm not sure what I need to do, but if it leads to me getting some work, I need to do it. In the past, work is like night and day. It makes me feel so mcuh better. GETTING work is hard.
> 
> And then there's my neck. I'm not sure how it'd respond to part-time or full-time work. I have to think I'll be fine because I've done some work for friends and I can mow our lawn. I can go on 2-3 hour walks. I can run up the hill down the street after a mile walk. I just have trouble looking left and down or up for long periods - neck gets tight. My neck gets tight especially when I'm sitting at this computer for long hours. I also have to look left a lot while driving. But honestly I think I'm tough enough to work, despite all this. What has this wolrd come to when a man like myself - who probably can work - doesn't?


I can relate and i am probably even worse about it all... i live in the country... been jobless 15 years now i think... no idea i lost track... lately i have spent tons of time online... yeah like real crazy hours too... like any where from 6-12 hours a day if not days sleepless... most of the time i spend just clicking everything i see and reading.. some interaction with people here and there... all depends on my mood... i do love learning and there is just way to much to learn on the internet... plus there way too many ways to get sidetracked as well... there is like 16,000 acres of forest behind my parents house and i never go out there... i never leave my room except to eat and bathroom stuff... i am severely irresponsible and there is no excuse for it... i am very intelligent and i can work... but i can't stand being around people or working a job that is going no where... almost every job out there any more is a road to no where... so i have actually accepted this state of mind and i enjoy it... my parents say i need help... i say it doesn't matter... everything is pointless any way... when i did have a good job and had a girlfriend it all went to crap cause she liked what i had more than me... i haven't even been on a date since 2007!!! am i affected mentally by this... well sure... i write about it all the time in poetic form... does any one care i live like this... only my parents cause they want me out the house... just cause i live like this doesn't mean i don't have ambitions or desires... hell i am only human... i know none of what i do will make me rich or wanted... i really don't care either... i mean sure i could get up and change if i liked too... but then i am just going to go and work to acquire things... then a female will take interest again... then i will be left with nothing again... did i mention that happened 3 times? ehh what does it matter... either way i don't see myself giving up my so called addiction... i spent 2 days with no sleep to start the week off playing around in the unity game engine... i learned a few things but i never will probably do anything meaningful... i get sidetracked so easily... if i do it will take forever... like the book i was writing... been writing in it off and on for almost a decade... doesn't really matter... i know i won't get any money for the book any way as what i write is not the general public's cup of happiness and fun... honestly i would be surprised if you could find anyone more irresponsible than myself... it is pretty bad... but at least my internet addiction is better than the drug addiction i used to have... not that it matters any way.... i hope you find what ever it is you need to break free of it, if you feel it's holding you back... we all have our faults and no one should really want to live like i do.... but hey i am comfortable with my situation...


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## EmyMax (Sep 26, 2014)

I rarely throw away many hours on the Internet today than what I used to do many years ago.
I don't play online (no gamble or online multiplayer games of any kind), I dropped my Facebook 2 years ago (so I'm not bothered anymore by the system to constantly check who likes what, or who commented what.....there's Skype and cell-phones, if REAL friends want to get in touch with me), don't have also a Google+ or Twitter account either (so don't have to constantly check who said what), cut down porn to ONLY 2 hours every 10-14 days and that's it.
I don't calculate those few hours that I might spend on Amazon or somewhere else, to find a particular article I can't find at my place, or that particular movie/book I want to re-experience, as you can get great deals on the Internet. And also I don't calculate those 3-4 hours I spend everyday to find a job, as these are important things. 
I used to be a huge Internet surfer. But today, I only value the more informative and "working" part of the Internet, and try not to spend much time with things I find irrelevant and a waste of time. And that's all.
Internet is ADDICTIVE and can, of course, cause harm if abused or used improperly. But the vast majority of social phobia and depression caused by the Internet is mainly to be blamed by social media platforms.
When they will fade for good? I don't know. But if I was a parent, I certainly wouldn't let any of my children have any accounts on those sites, and expose them openly to peer pressure.
My opinion is that cut it down, if you can. Find out what cause you to waste time, and limit it. The more you limit it, the more you become less interested, and have therefore the time to find something else to do, maybe. An old abandoned hobby or something, for example.
Just my 2 cents.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

We need to relate to people in real life!


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## EmyMax (Sep 26, 2014)

millenniumman75 said:


> We need to relate to people in real life!


 Exactly! :yes


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## Ignopius (Mar 19, 2013)

I don't think internet addiction is the reason for depression/anxiety. But the other way around! Depression/anxiety leads people to seek the comfort of others on the internet.


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## Septic Rodent (Aug 28, 2014)

Surely it's common sense that someone with no other means of communication would turn to the internet and be more likely to develop a dependence. Are these people thick, or am I just a closet genius? :roll


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## 2Milk (Oct 29, 2014)

I use the internet a lot because i have nothing better to do. During busy days i dont miss the internet at all.


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## Robot the Human (Aug 20, 2010)

Just internet addiction? Couldn't this be said about any deeply progressed addiction? I guess coffee might be the exception, because that actually encourages social gathering. :b



Ignopius said:


> I don't think internet addiction is the reason for depression/anxiety. But the other way around! Depression/anxiety leads people to seek the comfort of others on the internet.


I agree with this possibility. The internet wasn't nearly as cool and convenient when I first started to struggle. It was still very magical, in the sense of being able to talk with anyone without having to see their face or go to their house. We can easily become dependent on convenience alone without realizing the damage it's doing.


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