560,000 people addicted to the internet in Germany

More than half a million people in Germany are internet dependent

20/09/2013

Internet dependency is a common phenomenon that, according to a recent study funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health, is also often associated with other mental health problems „like personality disorders, impulsivity and attention deficit disorders“ German Federal Drug Commissioner Mechthild Dyckmans (FDP) said in a press release on Tuesday.

Overall, according to the results of the current study, around 560,000 people between the ages of 14 and 65 in Germany are internet-dependent, which corresponds to about one percent of the population in these vintages. The study was developed by the University of Lübeck with funding from the Federal Ministry of Health. According to the information provided by the Federal Drug Commissioner, the internet dependency that has been detected did not only affect online games but also social networks such as Facebook and Co. The study also showed, „Irrespective of the type of excessive use, internet dependency is associated with a significant negative impact on social life and inability to work“, so the press release of the Federal Drug Commissioner.

Men and women alike addicted to the internet
Of the respondents subjects with internet dependency „37 percent said that they mainly played online games, while another 37 percent of the addicts were active in social networks“ and „27 percent other Internet applications“ used, reports the Drug Commissioner of the Federal Government. Overall, men and women are almost equally affected by internet dependency. „Significant differences, however, exist in the nature of excessive Internet use: While dependent computer games are primarily found in men, women are more dependent on the use of social networks“, so continues the press release of the Federal Drug Commissioner. To determine whether there is an Internet addiction, the researchers first used the published in 2013 criteria catalog of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) from the „Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5)“ for the Internet Game Disorder („Internet Gaming Disorder“).

Expand prevention and therapy offers against internet addiction
According to the Drug Commissioner of the Federal Government „The study confirms that computer-based prevention and treatment offerings need to be developed and developed further.“ In the future, in the opinion of Mechthild Dyckmans, the service offers should in future be supplemented with special offers for female internet addicts and social network users. „The danger of developing excessive or dependent behavior when using social networks needs to be better highlighted“, so the conclusion of the Federal Drug Commissioner. (Fp)

Image: Dieter Schütz