Your internet addiction could soon be an actual mental illness

Do you ever wonder whether your incessant checking of your ex’s Facebook page around 5,696,393 times a day or that 12 hour long Pinterest session till 4am could mean there’s something actually wrong with your brain? No? Just us? Well according to reports over in the US, the American Psychiatric Association is ready to add “Internet Use Disorder” to its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is a long-winded way of saying your worrying addiction to Facebook could become an actual, like, THING.

Although we receive stats and studies about internet addiction all the time, and many in the field have commented on it being just as hard to kick as nicotine and even drugs, an actual internet disorder hasn’t been officially recognised. However, now it might be added into the APA’s big book of mental disorders there could be a number of implications for how we view and treat those who claim to have an actual addiction to the web and cat videos and Facebook stalking.

According to Digital Trends and the New York Post, some of the symptoms include:

Preoccupation with online gambling and a need to spend more time wagering via the Internet.

Withdrawal symptoms when computer use is denied.

Continued excessive Internet use by an individual, even if he or she knows how dangerous the problem has become.

Lying to shrinks and loved ones about excessive Internet use and online gambling.

Losing interest in other forms of entertainment and hobbies.

Just don’t take a week off in the coming months and claim you’re drained and battling an internet addiction, that’s not going to be a valid excuse. Not yet anyway.

[Via Digital Trends]