UNDERSTANDING ADDICTION
What is addiction?
The average person sees addiction as a compulsive behaviour or an obsession with something. It is sometimes used very loosely to denote a habit that has been formed. In the professional circle, it refers to a disease or a psychological problem. Psychiatrist would have a strict definition of this and based on a checklist, they can determine whether a person is addicted to a substance or behaviour.
Currently, Singapore and the US have not “officially” recognised computer or internet addiction as a disorder. However, in China and Korea, there are state run clinics and camps set up to deal with this problem.
Addiction can be a strong word which indicates a serious problem. Families who can say that a person is addiction is no longer in denial. The consequences of this addiction is not only seen but it is felt. What is seen is the change in social functioning of the addict and as a result, parents typically feel anger, frustration, despair and depression.
To determine whether a person is addicted or not is really not too difficult. When a person spends too much time on the computer and studies are neglected, this person is addicted. The difficulty for parents is accepting this and doing something about it. The section on addiction issues would be the things to look out for to help you make an assessment of whether a child is addicted. I also have my views on making this assessment and you can find it in this section under the heading “How do I know if one is addicted” and in the section For Professionals, I have a short cut method under the section on making assessments