Internet Addiction Disorder

Internet addiction disorder, also called problematic internet use, is characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges or behaviors regarding computer use and internet access that lead to impairment or distress; it is not recognized as a disorder by the DSM-5 or the ICD-11, and controversy surrounds whether it is a separate clinical entity or a manifestation of other underlying psychiatric disorders, with no standardized or agreed definition. Various theoretical models have been developed to explain it, including the cognitive-behavioral model used for more than twenty years and the newer Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model; the related term Facebook addiction disorder emerged in 2011 for compulsive Facebook use, and studies since 2020 have reported an increase in the disorder's prevalence since the COVID-19 pandemic, linked to forced isolation and its associated stress.