Zeitschrift für Suchtforschung und -therapie

Abstrakt

Internet Addiction: A Review

Rodolfo Eduardo Pezoa-Jares, Isabel Lizarindari Espinoza-Luna and Josue Alberto Vasquez Medina

Internet addiction (IA) is an increasingly prevalent clinical entity in adolescents and young adults, but can affect people of all ages. IA can lead to dysfunction in social, academic and work domains, and people affected by it usually share a comorbid psychiatric disorder. Although recognized for more than 15 years, IA continues to generate controversy on academic and clinical circles, and there has been no consensus regarding its terminology, classification and diagnosis. In the last years, considerable clinical and neurobiological research has been done on the subject, showing interesting findings. Treatment alternatives are available, although some have more evidence-based support than others. The following review attempts to describe available data on IA, thus hoping to create awareness in health professionals regarding this condition.