[Is "Internet Addiction" a disorder of its own?--a study on subjects with excessive internet use]

The term "Internet Addiction" implies that by using the pathological agent "Internet" an addiction-like behavior with a negative psychosocial outcome occurs. By using the pathogenetically more neutral term "Pathological Internet Use" (PIU) it is examined how frequently such behavior occurs in isolation and thus possibly as an independent condition and how often it occurs in the context of other psychiatric diseases. In the latter case PIU might merely be the consequence or a symptom of another underlying psychiatric disease.

30 persons with PIU were compared to 31 with intensive but not pathological internet use. A structured psychiatric diagnostic interview was carried out.

The main finding is that in the group with PIU a psychiatric diagnosis was found in 27 of 30 persons (e. g. anxiety disorders: 50.0 %). In the group without PIU only 7 of 31 individuals (e. g. anxiety disorders: 12.9 %) had a psychiatric diagnosis.

The finding that PIU occurs mostly in combination with other psychiatric diseases has a lot to commend against "Internet addiction" as a frequent and independent disease and gives reason for further in-depth studies to consider other psychiatric disorders in people exhibiting PIU with regard to diagnosis and therapy.