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New media is the new meth for some

Addictions to drugs, Internet similar

By: Sharon Kirkey

Posted: 01/12/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

This is your brain on the Internet: Messed up where there should be connections for making decisions and having normal emotions.

Results of a new study suggest people who cannot control, cut back or stop their use of the Internet have abnormal white matter structure in the brain similar to what is seen in cocaine and crystal-meth addicts.

According to the study's authors, as the number of people logging onto cyberspace soars, "Internet addiction disorder" -- which is poised to enter the official lexicon of psychiatric illnesses -- "is becoming a serious mental-health issue around the world."

The disorder, as described in the study published this week in the journal PLoS One, is defined as "problematic" or pathological computer use that can cause "marked distress" and interfere with school, work, family and social relationships.

For their study, led by Hao Lei of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, researchers scanned the brains of 17 teens and young adults, aged 14 to 24, with Internet addiction and 16 healthy "controls" of similar age.

People were classified as suffering from Internet addiction disorder, or IAD, based on a questionnaire that included the following: Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet? Do you stay online longer than originally intended? Do you feel restless, moody, depressed or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use?

Those with IAD had significantly impaired white matter fibres connecting different brain regions that play a critical role in emotional processing, as well as in "addiction-related phenomena" such as cravings, compulsive-repetitive behaviours and poor decision-making. They also scored higher on a scale measuring symptoms of anxiety-related disorders.

The finding may provide a potential target for treatment, the researchers said. "Recent studies have shown that physical or pharmacological treatments may improve white matter integrity," they wrote.

The study has several limitations: The sample size was small, the diagnosis of "Internet addiction" was based on self-reported questionnaires and it's unclear whether any changes in white matter may be a cause or a consequence of overuse of the Internet.

While some experts question whether the phenomenon is even real and not just the latest attempt to pathologize what may be excessive, but otherwise normal human behaviour, Internet addiction is being considered for addition to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a massive catalogue of mental illness now undergoing its first major revision in 16 years.

-- Postmedia News

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 12, 2012 A2

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