Comments:Psychiatrist Dr. Jerald Block tells Wikinews about addiction to the Internet

Addicted to the internet? Addiction is only addiction if it becomes a problem. Otherwise, think of the internet as the world recreating itself on a cyber scale, it isnt an addiction its a substantial element of our consciousness, and what it's evolving to.

This seems like another person who doesn't want to accept that the world is changing. What many people fail to realize is that the internet combines many things: reading(e-books), mail (e-mail), research, entertainment, expression(forums, image/draw boards, blogs), news, into a single medium. It is simply naive to call that an addiction. It would be like calling the use of eyeglasses an addiction. The internet is something that is necessary to function productively within our society, and it is something necessary to survive socially in our society as well (with the gaining use of things like facebook). If the internet is overused, it is because our society demands it of us, not because of a personal addiction. I still believe that the internet is the best thing to happen to the planet so far. It is extremely difficult for governments to stifle the diffusion of ideas. We are reducing our reliability on governments with regard to information on international affairs and domestic problems. It is harder for them to lie to us. Rekov (talk) 21:43, 22 October 2008 (UTC)


 * The usefulness of the internet as a tool for certain work does not mean it can not also be an unhealthy obsession, even at the same time. 72.154.53.126 06:20, 23 October 2008 (UTC)


 * I agree that the internet combines SO much useful stuff. The only reasons where I can see internet use as an addiction (though I'm not an expert) is when it affects other areas of life. Such as loss in grades, sleep problems - continual late nights. Also - being housebound is a terrible thing, sometimes I'm inside too often and it's just this amazing feeling of bliss when you go outside ... so unbelievably refreshing. 121.214.183.9 —Preceding comment was added at 07:50, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

This made me laugh so hard.
[partialrant]This is something just about everyone knows about, one can get addicted to such readily available information of all sorts. He also seems to be targeting the main stream internet users, those with no will power that waste away at some time heavy game or porn. He speaks of treating this kind of thing with drugs, force, or therapy. However for games there is a simple statement that, in my experience, has ended the person's problem; "It's just a game" filled with that bored, "duh" tone that makes them feel sorry for themselves. Works every time (although I find it kicks in the next night when they really look at what they are doing and feel worse).

I have met no one that doesn't say "ew" about porn. So I have no experience in the matter.

Dr. Block has seemed to completely miss all the other things one may get addicted to as well. The whole list of pointless forum conversations, chat arguments, surfing the incredible amount of interesting information (right here on Wikipedia for one), hacking (not cracking mind you, news always forgets the difference) and sharing files/media (Photobucket, Youtube). Well, anyway, I got utterly distracted from what I was starting with, internet addiction isn't something you treat, it is something you pull yourself out of simply by realizing what it is.[/partialrant] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.211.3.132 (talk) 05:24, 24 October 2008 (UTC)

I have serious doubts that anyone labeled as "addicted to the internet" to the point of self-harm doesn't have far more serious, and treatable, mental health issues underlying that "addiction". --74.229.182.73 14:52, 24 October 2008 (UTC)

Usual psychobabble double talk. Lets take a common action, label it a disease ("mental illness"), vote it into the billing manual (yes that is how this quacks create "legitimate" diseases) and the prescribe drugs to combat it, the prescribe further drugs to handle the side effects of the initial drugs and then therapy to handle the wrecked life of some poor fool who had the misfortune to seek help from these snake oil sellers. Don't forget to manipulate the data to show how widespread and horrifying this "disease" is. Oh, lets not forget to gloss over the fact that there are NO cures, that psychiatry has NEVER cured any of the diseases they invented, that there is absolutley ZERO physical evidence that such a disease exists (exactly the same amount of evidence that is available for every other stupid condition these idiots cooked up). It is beyond me that anyone can even say this crap with a straight face but unfortunately Dr. Block (you can't even think up a name like that) and his ilk not only say it but make billions of dollars saying equally ridiculous, medically unsupported rubbish all the while destroying peoples lives with their "treatments". --Crokodile (talk) 23:48, 24 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Very poor analysis. Scientologist? Chemistry is real unlike other things. 66.20.174.108 00:18, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

Why Single Out the Internet?
Why should we consider Internet addiction a disease? Why the Internet in particular? Why not other things? To me an addiction is when a person does something without good self-discipline and willpower, and allows the activity to infringe upon other critical life activities, such as eating, sleeping, bathing, etc. Take me for example. Before I we had video games in our house I was addicted to books. I would spend hours at night as a child, sitting up and reading in bed, disrupting my sleep cycle. My mother noticed this and punished me by confiscating the desk lamp. We don't see any studies being reported about dangerous addictions to books, do we? After we got a video game system, my addiction changed from books to video games. Instead of sitting up late reading books, I was sitting up late playing video games. My mother didn't like this either, so she put a lock on the video game cabinet. I was so addicted that I would try and steal the keys from their bedroom as they slept. Whenever my mother caught me in the act, she expressed deep pain at the fact that I would try and deceive her and continue to harm myself by throwing off my sleep cycle. When I finally got a computer in my room, I spent hours and hours writing computer programs and playing computer games. Again I had an addiction, except I did not have the internet connected up yet. When I finally left for college and had unrestricted internet access for the first time, my focus shifted to gaming, chatting, and reading on the internet. I did not have very good willpower and self-discipline, and I often arrived at class too tired to function well. As my grades consistently fell I began to get fed up with how I was doing things, and I began to set limits on myself. Now that I'm out of college and in the working world, I set my own goal to have at least 6 hours of sleep each night, and up to now I've had few problems with this. Through willpower and family encouragement, I was able to get my act together and stop allowing myself to irresponsibly use my time. This whole thing about addictions is not a question of whether it's a disease or not. That's bull. The root problem needs to be addressed, which is poor willpower, self-discipline, and maybe even a lack of knowledge on healthy habits. --96.252.61.169 17:36, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

Comments from feedback form - "WATCH YOUR GRAMMER!!!"
WATCH YOUR GRAMMER!!! &mdash;121.6.2.164 (talk) 08:38, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

Comments from feedback form - "Your grammer and vocab is PERF..."
Your grammer and vocab is PERFECT!Very good! &mdash;121.6.2.164 (talk) 08:40, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

Would be great to see a followup
Did Dr. Jerald Block look into the issues he was discussing? And if so, what were his findings? Mattisse (talk) 17:23, 17 April 2011 (UTC)

Comments from feedback form - "gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..."
goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood &mdash;58.186.2.250 (talk) 12:28, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

Maybe his opinion is dangerous for Internet user
In China, we have Yang Yongxin, who is reported that he frequently uses ECT to punish those who disobey his command in his Anti-Internet Additcion Camp and set patients' parents and other patients to catch those who want to escape. Yang Yongxin's action has made Chinese people concerned about the existence of Internet Addiction and treatment against patients' will and other human rights. Even Dr. Jerald Block may have good faith, but his opinion may be used against Internet and other thing (It is reported that Yang's treatment is against homesexual and other beavior which is discredited in China). So I think it's dangerous. Mariogoods (talk) 03:22, 4 November 2018 (UTC)