Internet Addiction Has Similar Consequences to Alcohol and Drug Addiction, Study Says

Internet addiction affects the brain negatively just like alcohol and drug addiction according to a recent study in China.



The Internet addiction disorder (IAD) was found to disrupt the nerve wiring in the brains of a number of teenagers in the study causing a level of brain damage normally seen in heavy substance abusers.

17 internet addicts in China were compared with 16 who were not addicted, both groups consist of young people. The study shows that the brain of the teenagers who are addicted to the internet has alterations similar to the brain of people addicted to alohol and drugs; whereas there were no findings to the 16 teenagers who are not internet addicts.

Furthermore, when the IAD-diagnosed teenagers were denied access to their computers, some of them experienced distress and withdrawal symptoms similar to drug addicts.

Dr. Hao Lei from the Chinese Academy of Sciences claims that evidence of disruption to "white matter" nerve fibres connecting vital parts of the brain involved in emotions, decision making, and self-control manifested.

Scientists believe that the damage is caused by disrupted myelin, the fatty insulating covering that helps nerves work.

However, internet addiction is not yet considered as a "genuine" addiction because some scientists are questioning the validity of the study. For now, they just consider it as an "impulse control disorder."

One of the scientists who is skeptical about the Internet Addiction Disorder study is Professor Michael Farrell, director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia. He said that the research is limited and that it’s possible that "illicit drugs, alcohol or other caffeine-based stimulants might account for the changes."

Image courtesy of Derek Berry

Posted by Unknown at 3:14 AM

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Labels: Internet Addiction