Is your PC killing you?

Posted on 7 May 2009 at 16:33

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"Conceptually, the diagnosis is a compulsive-impulsive spectrum disorder that involves computer usage and consists of at least three subtypes: excessive gaming, sexual pre-occupations, and email or text messaging," says Jerald Block MD in a submission to the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Block noted that some of the most interesting research on internet addiction has been published in South Korea, after a series of 10 cardiopulmonary-related deaths in internet caf???©s and a game-related murder. "South Korea considers internet addiction one of its most serious public health issues," says Block. The South Korean government estimated that in 2006, approximately 210,000 South Korean children aged between six and 19 years old were afflicted with internet addiction that required treatment. Of these, 40,000 required hospitalisation. The worst cases stemmed from gamers suffering from exhaustion brought on by lack of sleep and food.

Internet addiction is more likely to simply disrupt daily life - which is in itself a sign of addiction. "The three main elements in defining an addiction are loss of control, continuing to pursue the habit despite negative consequences, and obsession preoccupation," says Jennifer Schnieder MD, an addiction medicine specialist and co-author of Untangling the Web, a book about obsessions in the internet age. "These [elements] are all shown in people who over-use online porn and cybersex."

According to research performed by sex therapist Alvin Cooper, 85 per cent of porn users are 'recreational' users and five per cent are sex addicts. The surprise is that one in 10 users are considered 'at risk'. This means most of us know someone struggling to keep their lives on track in the midst of a secret compulsive disorder.

"People go into a trance-like state where hours slip away when hunting down videos or pictures," says Jason McClain, a therapist who runs www.quitpornaddiction.com. "It leads to people spending less time with their family, disturbed sleep patterns and missing time they should be spending on their careers.

"The outward signs are things like mood swings and irritability as the obsession messes with their emotions, and guilt and frustration for wasting time - frustration they take out on partners or colleagues."

The effects for gambling online are much the same and similar incentives - anonymity and easy access - introduce otherwise non-gamblers to potentially addictive pursuits. Researchers say that heavy debts easily arise and can lead to depression and, in extreme cases, suicide.

The global threat

Perhaps the biggest health threat posed by computers surfaces when they are no longer being used. Computers that are thought to have reached the end of their useful life can often be refurbished, but most are simply scrapped. Much computer waste ends up in developing countries, where the hardware is stripped by hand to remove metals. These metals, while valuable, are uneconomical to extract by other means.

The recently launched WEEE directive aims to ensure safe disposal of e-waste in the UK and Europe. However, hazardous, chemical-ridden electronics can still end up being shipped overseas, often in the guise of second-hand goods. "Thousands of old electronic goods and components leave the EU for Africa every day, despite regulations prohibiting the trade in e-waste," says Greenpeace International. "We are using developing countries - including Nigeria, Ghana, Pakistan, India and China - as toxic dumping grounds."