|
THE SYMPTOMS of The Addiction
|
Psychological Symptoms
*Having a sense of well-being or euphoriawhile at the computer
*Inability to stop the activity
*Craving more and more time at the computer
*Neglect of family and friends
*Feeling empty, depressed, irritable when
not at the computer
*Lying to employers and family about
activities
*Problems with school or job
|
Maressa Hecht Orzack, Ph.D.
|
*Carpal tunnel syndrome
*Dry eyes
*Migraine headaches
*Back aches
*Eating irregularities, such as skipping
meals
*Failure to attend to personal hygiene
*Sleep disturbances, change in sleep pattern
One 14-year-old boy e-mailed Orzack begging her for help. "I have been a computer addict since I was 11," he wrote. He said his grades went from 3.8, when he wasn't using the computer much, to 1.3. He told her he missed meals, suffered backaches, lost track of time, went to bed late, and fell asleep in school.
"I'm afraid that I will run away if my parents take my computer away," he continued. "It is almost like the computer owns me."
"It's an emerging disorder," Orzack says, "suffered by people who find the virtual reality on computer screens more attractive than everyday reality. Health-care specialists, school counselors, corporate executives, and families have begun to notice the aberrant behavior and mental health problems of computer addicts. They feel unhappy when they are away from the machine. Some try unsuccessfully to stop using it. Many of them spend constantly-increasing amounts of time and money on computers, often neglecting their families and work. Then they compound the problem by denying it."
|
|
|
This information by Maressa Hecht Orzack, Ph.D.
FOR OVER 15 YEARS Dr. Orzack, a licensed clinical psychologist, has treated addictive behaviors at McLean Hospital, where she is Founder and Coordinator of Computer Addiction Services and a member of the Harvard Medical School faculty.
|
|
