Weinberg sophomore Stephanie Schmitz is always on the Internet.
“I’m online all day, everyday, ” she said. “Except for when I sleep.”
But Schmitz does not fit the profile of an Internet addict. In fact, she only spends a few hours a day actively using the Web. She said, however, that she does keep an away message up on AOL Instant Messenger from morning to night.
Because college students’ responsibilities often revolve around their computers, experts said it is easy to get on AIM or the Web and just let the hours fly by. But for some, temptation can turn into addiction, making signing off almost impossible.
“It’s definitely something one can get addicted to,” said Lucy Papillon, researcher and clinical psychologist. “It’s like being a workaholic or any another psychological addiction.”
Papillon said she often treats Internet addicts in her private practice in Beverly Hills, Calif. Although Internet addicts can fit just about any profile, she said today’s technologically savvy college students can find it especially hard to tear themselves away from their computer screens.
“College can be daunting, especially if they come from a small town, if they weren’t much into the high school social life,” she said. “They just continue the lifestyle they developed in high school.”
There’s a certain allure to the Internet — chat services, such as AIM, especially — that can make certain personalities more predisposed to addiction, Papillon said. It’s the perfect medium for individuals who have difficulty socializing face to face.
“Some people are frightened about intimacy,” she said. “It’s the perfect space or distance for people to reveal a lot about themselves without a lot of risk. It’s a wonderful way to feel that you’re close with someone, but you’re really not close at all.”
But although it claims many sufferers, Internet addiction is not mentioned in the DSM-IV, a manual used by psychologists and psychiatrists to diagnose psychiatric disorders. Psychologists still disagree over how to categorize Internet addiction, and some have called for more research on the subject before the label “addiction” is applied.
Papillon agreed that there is a need for more research, pointing out that most of the studies on the subject have been case studies relying heavily on anecdotal support. But common sense and self reflection are they keys — someone who spends more than five hours a day on the Internet should think about reevaluating his or her online habits, she said, seeking help if necessary.
Bob Stenander, corporate services coordinator for the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, said that at the institute, Internet addiction is treated as an impulse control disorder. He said it will often accompany other disorders, such as depression, since the nature of Internet addiction can make it especially difficult to detect.
“An Internet addiction is hidden,” Stenander said. “You can’t smell it. It’s done in isolation. A kid can come stumbling drunk through the door, you’ve got him. A kid spends 10 hours a day on the Internet, how do you know?”
Although some NU students said they are guilty of excessive Internet use, rigorous workloads keep many students, such as Weinberg senior Phil Morris, on task and away from the Web.
“Time,” Morris said. “That was the main thing. I have a lot of work, a lot of studying. I was never addicted.”
Schmitz said multitasking — chatting with friends while writing a paper or doing research — allows her to stay online for long periods of time while still getting her work done.
It’s easier to talk to people online, she said, and lets her keep in touch with friends from home. But often it’s a distraction.
“You’ve just got to have discipline,” she said.
