Problematic computer use is a growing social issue which is being debated worldwide. Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) ruins lives by causing neurological complications, psychological disturbances, and social problems. Surveys in the United States and Europe have indicated alarming prevalence rates between 1.5 and 8.2% [1]. There are several reviews addressing the definition, classification, assessment, epidemiology, and co-morbidity of IAD [2-5], and some reviews [6-8] addressing the treatment of IAD. The aim of this paper is to give a preferably brief overview of research on IAD and theoretical considerations from a practical perspective based on years of daily work with clients suffering from Internet addiction. Furthermore, with this paper we intend to bring in practical experience in the debate about the eventual inclusion of IAD in the next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

The American Psychiatric Association recently included Internet gaming disorder (IGD) as a potential diagnosis, recommending that further study be conducted to help illuminate it more clearly. This paper is a summary of the review undertaken by the IGD Working Group as part of the 2015 National Academy of Sciences Sackler Colloquium on Digital Media and Developing Minds. By using measures based on or similar to the IGD definition, we found that prevalence rates range between ∼1% and 9%, depending on age, country, and other sample characteristics. The etiology of IGD is not well-understood at this time, although it appears that impulsiveness and high amounts of time gaming may be risk factors. Estimates for the length of time the disorder can last vary widely, but it is unclear why. Although the authors of several studies have demonstrated that IGD can be treated, no randomized controlled trials have yet been published, making any definitive statements about treatment impossible. IGD does, therefore, appear to be an area in which additional research is clearly needed. We discuss several of the critical questions that future research should address and provide recommendations for clinicians, policy makers, and educators on the basis of what we know at this time.

The Internet Process Addiction Test (IPAT) was created to screen for potential addictive behaviors that could be facilitated by the internet. The IPAT was created with the mindset that the term “Internet addiction” is structurally problematic, as the Internet is simply the medium that one uses to access various addictive processes. The role of the internet in facilitating addictions, however, cannot be minimized. A new screening tool that effectively directed researchers and clinicians to the specific processes facilitated by the internet would therefore be useful. This study shows that the Internet Process Addiction Test (IPAT) demonstrates good validity and reliability. Four addictive processes were effectively screened for with the IPAT: Online video game playing, online social networking, online sexual activity, and web surfing. Implications for further research and limitations of the study are discussed.

International prevalence rates for gaming disorder range with approximately 3.05% of individuals meeting criteria. Despite the high potential for diagnosis, most clinicians in health care facilities who treat known comorbidities (e.g., anxiety or depression) do not assess clients at intake for gaming disorder. The present study aims to evaluate the Brief Internet Gaming Screen-8 (BIGS-8) as a self-assessment screening tool within a health care setting treating clients with comorbid disorders. The measure was administered to individuals in a U.S. treatment facility that specializes in treating gaming disorder and technology overuse (n = 128). The participant's ages were 13-35. The majority (87.9%) of individual's primary presenting behavior for which they sought treatment was due to impairment in psychosocial functioning associated with video gaming. To discover the factor structure of the BIGS-8, a parallel analysis scree plot and an exploratory factor analysis were conducted using half of the sample chosen at random (n = 64). A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the other randomly chosen half of participants (n = 64). Results indicated a one-factor solution. To explore convergent validity, the sum score of the BIGS-8 was significantly positively correlated with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) Depression subscale and DASS-21 Anxiety subscale sum scores. Within a components-based addiction framework aligned with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition-Text Revision criteria, the BIGS-8 yielded an acceptable model fit. The BIGS-8 poses clinical utility of identifying behavioral addiction elements that align with common comorbidities within a clinical sample and may be useful as a preliminary screening tool prior to completing a more comprehensive clinical assessment.