InternetAddict
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Study claims internet addicted teens more likely to suffer depression (sigh)
1,041 Chinese teenagers got a clean bill of health; nine months later, 84 were diagnosed with depression. The cause? Why, internet addiction, of course. Dr. Lawrence Lam of the Sydney School of Medicine points the finger at "pathological use of the internet" as a major risk factor for depression, stating that those teens whose eyeballs were most glued to the screen were 2.5 times more likely to suffer from mental health problems. While Lam did guess the actual injuries were sustained from a lack of sleep due to late-night surfing and the ever-popular scapegoat online gaming rather than the direct effect of Hypnotoad, the good doctor reportedly didn't hesitate to call for school screenings and subsequent treatment for internet overuse as a result. It's perhaps worth noting this study comes from the same man who claimed (in 2009) that internet addicts were twice as likely to maim themselves.
Compulsive e-mailing, texting could be classified as bona fide illness
Considering the plethora of facilities that have opened just in the past few years to deal solely with individuals that have become undoubtedly addicted to video games, the internet and all things Hello Kitty (we jest, we jest), we're not surprised one iota to hear that uncontrollably texting / e-mailing could soon become "classified as an official brain illness." According to a writeup in the latest American Journal of Psychiatry, internet addiction is a common ailment "that should be added to psychiatry's official guidebook of mental disorders." More specifically, Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, even goes so far as to argue that said phenomenon (neglecting basic drives to spend more time online) be "included in the [next edition of] Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, psychiatry's official dictionary of mental illnesses." Until then, we wish you the best of luck convincing that creature living in your basement with a dedicated T1 line that he / she isn't alright. [Via textually]
Korea's internet addict camp breaks dependence with crafts, drumming
We apologize in advance if any of what follows hits a little too close to home, but unless you're camped out in South Korea, you don't have to worry about being ripped from your computer and sent to the Jump Up Internet Rescue School. Much like the facility seen earlier this year in China, this compound attempts to rehabilitate citizens from their dependence on the intarweb by forcing coaxing them into less digital activities such as pottery and drumming (Rock Band, anyone?). South Korea, which boasts "nearly universal" internet access, offers up the camp free of charge to those admitted, and currently, around four to five habitual net users are applying for every one available spot. While there, campers engage in social activities and participate in group functions like horseback riding and wall climbing, but it remains to be seen if graduates of the program can really resist the temptation of relapsing once they return home. [Via NewsFactor / Yahoo]
