Internet-addicted teens 'are anxious, depressed, with poor attention span', a study warns
Is internet addiction a sign of PSYCHOPATHY? Study claims obsession to be online is 'masking deeper problems'
- Internet-addicted teens 'are anxious, depressed, with poor attention span'
- Researchers warn the addiction could be masking underlying problems
Internet addiction is simply a smokescreen for more severe psychological issues, a new study reveals.
Researchers also believe this obsession fuels depression, anxiety, impulsiveness, and short attention span.
And yet, experts warn, 24-hour connectedness remains socially acceptable.
The
researchers insist we need to be more vigilant about the way people -
particularly teenagers - use the internet, looking out for signs of
desperation and anger.
To explore the issue, a team of psychiatrists monitored 254 freshmen at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.
They used a tool called the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), which was developed in 1998.
To account for changes in the way we use the internet, researchers also conducted their own assessments of addiction.
They found 33 were addicted to the internet, and 107 were on the spectrum.
Those
who were addicted could not extract themselves from social network
sites, impulsively watching streamed videos and messaging friends.
They
also struggled to efficiently carry out their daily routine, falling
into dips of depression, failing to pay attention, and poor time
management.
Chief
researcher Dr Michael Van Ameringen says more studies need to be done
to learn if these mental health issues are caused by internet addiction,
or if internet addiction is a symptom of someone's underlying
psychological issues.
The study is due to be presented in Vienna this Sunday at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
It has been hailed as a key step in understanding mental illness in the 21st century.
Dr
Jan Buitelaar, a professor of psychiatry at Holland's Radboud
University Nijmegen Medical Center, told HealthDay: 'Excessive use of
the internet is an understudied phenomenon that may disguise mild or
severe psychopathology; excessive use of the internet may be strongly
linked to compulsive behavior and addiction.'
