The Computer Ate My Homework
By Dr. Jain
Internet addiction. When the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the hospital I work in moves to their new facilities next year, I will likely take on the role of developing a program for computer addiction in adolescents (and I don’t mean a computer program!). Why? About seven years ago, I conducted research with Dr. Nigel Turner (funded by the Ontario Pathological Gambling Foundation) looking at the rate of ADHD in pathological gamblers and we identified that 40% had ADHD. So it is not a big leap for me to jump into computer-based addiction. In the world of computer addiction, on-line poker is a major component and so is on-line interactive gaming in general. While the evidence does not point to these activities causing ADHD, there is no question that ADHD individuals have a preference for the Internet both in terms of gaming and for information.
I did a little study about 15 years ago and had two sets of children playing an identical video game. Once they reached a certain score, we engineered an off switch and shut the game. The non-ADHD kids turned and said, “What happened?”. The ADHD kids consistently freaked. The symptoms were like a withdrawal. In fact, most parents of ADHD kids will tell you, the kid seems to relax when they are playing but can’t handle coming off or being denied access. It is akin to being on a drug.
I think this is a big problem. It is particularly distressing when I hear that an adolescent’s only job he aspires to is as a “game tester”. I just wonder how destructive this behavior is. And it is not just adolescents. Adults are doing it too and it is affecting their jobs and their relationships. I have stopped counting how many times an adult ADD’er was scorned by his spouse or employer for being caught on compromising sites or lost in the newest game.
Yet, I have also treated some amazing on-line ADHD poker players who have made a fortune. If I want to extend this to on-line trading or e-bay trading, just imagine how big a pot this must be. Was it their ADHD? I don’t know.
The basic construct that I see is the core issue of impulsiveness and in an opposite but similar kind of way, those individuals who are depressed and want to be impulsive to break out of their misery. In either context, it is feeding a part of their brain that drives this. The nucleus accumbens is rich in dopamine receptors. It is where we crave and seek out novel stimulation. This is where ADD’ers live and that is why they are at risk. That’s where the money is! I’d like to hear your experiences about computer addictions.
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Hmmm, that was not easy!. (staying off the computer a few days) The “disease called more” as I like to call it, addiction in other words, has been a nasty demon I’ve had to fend off most of my life. I probably always will. Especially the cookie addiction. I’ve developed a strong feeling of relationship with the people here that have symptoms very much like my own. Internet relationships are an extremely difficult and dangerous thing. I tend to comprehend what I want to comprehend when I read what you guys say, unfortunately, things like dyslexia, adhd, and some degree of brain damage all affect my ability to truly understand what people say here. I’m selfish ta boot! so I take things much more personally than they actually are. That’s part of why I feel a bit addicted to this web site. It’s all about me!
As I was wondering what to write next; something relevant… I thought about control. Anyone else have a problem with control around this camp?. Is it control of our addictions?, or addiction to control?, do we work at controlling other peoples awareness of our addictions?, do we try to manage other peoples perspective of us?, or are we so diluded by our fears that the only way we can feel safe in this hostile world is by tricking ourselves into thinking we have some kind of control over the people and circumstances in our life?. Define addiction…
Go ahead, make my day…
Oh I know, doing the same thing over n over expecting different results right?… Addiction and insanity are very similar. Especially with a gazzillian “yeah butts” stampeding through our brains, there’s a ‘yeah but’ for everything. My brain has yeah buts for my yeah buts. On and on.
I love that article by Rick Green, -Define crazy-. I’d put up a link to that page, but I left three long, wordy, and nearly senseless posts on it that are very embarrassing, Painfully so. Fortunately billd helped me lighten up a little bit about those ones. I wish I could write better, but I’m making progress.
I’ve got tons of questions, I’ll be surfing around this site looking for threads to answer my most current curiosities for hours tonight possibly. I think I’m addicted to information, answers in particular. New information, and discoveries are cool. We love the Internet and get addiction symptoms because we love having easy access to answers. I used to spend hours on end reading/browsing through the encyclopedia my parents got for us. Those are some of my most comfortable early childhood memories. I’ll bet that’s a common characteristic for ADDers, curiosity that is. Despite extreme difficulty with reading, and understanding, we still keep trying. I bet not giving up easy is another good characteristic for ADHDers.
My dad used to tell me “If you had a brain you’d be dangerous”. If you think that’s bad, read this, whenever I’d ask him where we were going in the car, he’d say, “to hell if we don’t change our ways”. Crap!. What a childhood!, we can’t blame our parents for our addictions. But it’s important to unlearn a lot of the stuff we learned growing up. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing. When I forgive the world for making so many mistakes, I’m less vulnerable to addictions. Regardless of the way I got to be the way I am, I am responsible for my own mental and physical health now. The world owes me zip, zero, nada, no thing. We reap what we sew.
Addictions are among many other kinds of mental illnesses we can get on our road of happy destiny. I’ll bet lot’s of people who study psychology do so because they have serious mental health issues themselves, the education helps tons, but it’s not the whole solution. I would bet on that. I’ve always avoided gambling though. For money… I think the Lottery is a tax on people bad at math.
I can quit any time… lol. and I have many times. I tend to make any problem bigger just by giving it too much attention.
I’m working on making other things in my life more important. Sometimes I can strike a really comfortable balance and it’s great. But then I get bored. So many times I just come here to read. It gives me tons of hope.
We need to let go of the “disease called more” we can do too much of just about anything that’s fun. If it’s causing real grief for me or anyone else it’s a problem.
The luckiest observation I’ve ever had is noticing how much I enjoy things after not doing them for a long time. It actually makes limiting myself, or my time on the computer worth doing. I’ll enjoy it more when I haven’t been there for a while. That being said. I now have to stay away from the Internet for about 2 full days at least. in order to feel good self respect, and honor. It’s totally worth it. I’ll keep my focus on the reward.
See ya all in a couple days. Maybe 3 just to make coming back here sweeter.
I hope that doesn’t sound arrogant. I’ve suffered from that stinking problem too much in my life. I just can’t give in to ADHD as if it’s not curable. Maybe I can’t make it go away completely, I can sure learn to live much more comfortably with it. I don’t have to let it keep making me beat the crap outa myself.
My computer “addiction” started with my first computer at age 13. Lots of time playing games and learning how it worked. Taught myself how to program. Didn’t have enough money to buy lots of games so I figured out how to “crack” & copy them. Enrolled in Computer Science. Got into contract consulting so I never finished my degree. Worked for lots of interesting companies doing challenging projects. Traveled a lot. Made lots of money, drove motorcycles, fast cars (didn’t do so well with the fast women tho!), and other high-adrenaline recreational activities. Have since settled down. Overall I’m happy I have ADHD; if it weren’t for loosing my temper with loved ones I’d say I love it.
It’s a total time-sucker, really messes with my sleep, creeps into my workday, how many of us run to our computer/smartphone/tablet first thing in the morning or at lunch (if we ever turn them off)?
I’ve been on many week-long silent retreats, and that helps with the urge to jump back on the internet right away, but it still doesn’t take long, once you take that first “drag” of internet, you crave MORE!
Um…yeah. That is disturbing. The addiction part, I mean, not that you’re trying to do something about it. My son is 12 and cannot be peeled away from the computer. He plays online games from the time he gets home from school until he goes to sleep, which tends to be very late. One of his teachers said he is falling asleep in class. I don’t know what to do, because we need internet access. We’ve talked about cutting the power at the fuse box at night. The kid comes unglued if he can’t play, but he also comes unglued trying to play, if he’s losing, if he can’t reach the next level, etc. I heard somewhere that some games are intentionally designed to be addictive. I have also wasted whole days playing video games, and I won’t care if I don’t eat or walk around or if I my arm hurts. I get a rush from it, it makes me feel good, and I have also noticed that if I am playing at night and stop to go to bed, I will not be able to sleep for a very long time. I feel it does, in fact, do something to my brain, that I get some kind of reward from making progress or winning that I don’t get anywhere else. Internet surfing is a little different, but I also spend tons of time and money on online streaming video – little charges add up. I don’t gamble, but video games feel a lot like gambling. Usually I play if I’m depressed and can’t cheer myself up. The kid, on the other hand, has based his entire life, social and otherwise, around these online group-based player-to-player role-playing games. If he didn’t have them, he’d be so hysterical he’d probably have to be hospitalized. Trying to get him to stop is next to impossible. Short of shutting off the power to the house, I don’t know how to handle it, but we haven’t taken it to that level yet.
It is a REAL problem. If I knew how to handle it, I would have done it by now.
My boyfriend is currently struggling with possible Adult ADD (trying to get a diagnosis in UK which is apparently very difficult), and he sent me these to watch regarding game compulsion/ addiction:
http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/game-addiction-pt.1
http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/game-addiction-pt.2
You may have seen them already but if not they’re really interesting, especially the second one which is a guy’s personal experience of game compulsion.
Geez, fine! I’ll get off the computer and go do the stuff I’m supposed to be doing! LOL!
Just let me get in one more post….
I use my computer for gaming .. mmo s mostly and for looking for information
But I find that the latter is often a source of frustration, not good for ADHD, as I end up
waiting and waiting for answers to questions, often getting some sort of form letter telling
me that they have no information. Using computer for gaming is realatively rewarding as the goals are clear, rewards are clear, and there a few annoying incidents. Playing an MMo allows for potential interaction with other people through the medium of the ‘Net’, so I don’t know or concern myself with whether or not what they say is true or just make believe. It is a respit.
Web sites with chat or comment sections, are less enjoyable; I post in hopes of answers and most often don’t get any response, so I have to “work” .. not to take it as personal rejection etc.
Most certainly addicted to gaming, it is away from the uncertainty and anxiety of the world of humans where I am only able to get support or help if i pay out money I dont have to people I would have to travel several hours to see, and with no “certainty” of a good outcome for me.
I live alone and retired, so I know when I get on the computer but not when I get off. I’m like a lost puppy wandering everywhere. Thank goodness I don’t gamble, but lose a lot of time and can’t follow a schedule.