Do you become restless when your iPad or mobile is not within reach? Do you check your mail every 10 minutes? Is your mind on the half-played video game even when you are in bed? Is your Internet connection off, making you anxious about how you are going to get through the rest of the day?
You could be suffering from Internet-use disorder. “It is a constant urge to connect with people through technology,” said Mohana Narayanan, leading professional counsellor in the field. She runs a private clinic and also conducts sessions at two schools in Chennai.
Now the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders — published by the American Psychiatric Association — has decided to list the disorder under ‘recommended for study,’ as some people who spend a lot of time on the Internet demonstrate symptoms akin to those with other addiction disorders, the counsellor said.
A growing concern among professional counsellors and psychiatrists is that ‘screen addiction’ is fast catching up with children. “These children are usually in the 8-13 age group,” said Narayanan.
The counsellor blames the parents for this. “Many parents do not spend enough time with their children. So the child has a lot of unsupervised time on his hands.” Children now have technology-based amusements and parents show misplaced pride in the technical prowess of their wards, she rued.
Screen addiction is reflected in food habits. A child might insist on eating only in front of a TV set or while playing games. “The mothers are thankful that their children are eating. Some tell me that they are able to give them whatever they want then,” Narayanan said. “But they should realise that this is not the right way to ingest food.”
Prolonged bouts of TV watching and lack of exercise lead to health issues such as obesity and sleeping disorders, she said.
Cut off access to TV, iPad, cell phone or Internet and screen addiction and the children may display violent or aggressive behaviour. “Anger in children is a symptom of depression, a sign of hopelessness or helplessness,” she warned. Some children even ‘hit their mothers.’ They begin to show withdrawal symptoms and their academic performance nosedives. Parents are summoned to the school and that is when they seek the help of professional counsellors.
She comes up with a structured lifestyle manual for her young patients, specifying an hour-by-hour timetable. Exercise plays a dominant role in the de-addiction process. “In cases of extreme screen addiction…Chemical intervention is necessary,” she said. “However, parents resist this because they consider it a stigma.”
Lifestyle modifications and greater parent-child interaction are long-term solutions to the problem, according to her.