Addictions come in many different forms, from eating and exercise to stock trading and sex. A compulsive behaviour that many people suffer from, although they might not realise it, is an addiction to being online. "Internet addiction has been described in the literature and research articles, but has not been taken up in the official disease classification systems such as the DSM-V [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders] and ICD-10 [10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems] pending further research," says psychiatrist Frans Korb. "Classically, addiction is described to be a condition where, for instance, a person must have a drug to avoid physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. With internet addiction, there is obviously no intoxicating drug involved," Korb says. But this doesn’t make it any less real. It also doesn’t change the fact that internet addiction has significant health, relationship and p...
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