Caught in the Net of addiction

Like any other teenager, Sameer Shah*, 17, a resident of Andheri, loves surfing social networking sites and chatting with his friends online. The class XII student’s internet addiction, however, took a turn for the worse when he failed in his exams. His family did not anticipate what was to follow.

Sameer got into quarrels with his parents, began staying aloof and spent money on online shopping. A visit to the psychiatrist revealed that he was suffering from internet addiction disorder (IAD). The number of youth suffering from IAD has grown exponentially.

“Of the over 100 patients who visit the OPD every day, there are two-three people who have IAD. In a year, I see 600-650 patients with this problem. In extreme cases, the child becomes violent,” said Dr Yusuf Matchesawala, senior psychiatrist at Masina Hospital. “Some patients need two-three counselling sessions while in case of recurrence of the problem, the patient is admitted to hospital.”

There is a debate among doctors in the US on whether IAD should be included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Such cases are not alien across the world.

“I see 8-10 such cases in a month and the number is increasing. Easy access to the Internet, playing games on mobiles and spurt in social networking sites are the root causes of the problem. It is like alcoholism,” said Harish Shetty, psychiatrist at Hiranandani Hospital.  

Dr Shubhangi Parkar, head of the psychiatry department at KEM Hospital, said: “We see some challenging IAD cases in which children forget about studies or people at home. Asking them to stop doing so causes depression.”
*Name changed to protect identity