Tuesday, March 25, 2008

In the News...

E-Mail, Text Addiction Could Be Mental Illness, Researchers Say
(Tom's reaction to this story was, "could be?")

From NBC 10, Philadephia
POSTED: 3:04 pm EDT March 25, 2008

"Many people are constantly e-mailing or texting and it may be more of a problem than you think. With all the instant technology, it's easy to get addicted to your "crackberry" or phone. But researchers are saying it might be a mental illness for those people who send excessive texts and e-mails. For example, you sit at the computer all day, but as soon as you leave the office, you can't wait to log on to your home computer. Psychiatrists report this kind of addiction to instant messaging could be another form of mental illness.

So what are the warning signs?

One, if you feel like it's a security blanket, and you feel naked if you're not able to text. Some other symptoms are feelings of withdrawal if you can't get to a computer, a constant need for better equipment and a constant need for more time to use it. It's not just adults who could be addicted.

Another study found the average child spends an hour and 17 minutes on the Internet each day.
Teens spend an average of 30 minutes text messaging and another 25 minutes playing online games.

So, try to take a break and step away from the PDA."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am searching for the post about Chumley's show to leave a comment and just re-read this article. I probably should have commented back at the time. My time spent on the internet/texting falls way ABOVE those figures. I wonder what the drug remedy is for this illness?