Dr. Ivan K. Goldberg, a psychiatrist and clinical psychopharmacologist, came up with the term "Internet addiction" in 1995. But he never thought anyone would take him seriously. In fact, he said the disorder didn't really exist. In 1986, Goldberg created an online club for psychiatrists called PsyCom.Net and often browsed the site for news and messages.
While reading the messages posted on the site's bulletin boards, he came up with the idea of posting a message to poke fun at the American Psychiatric Association's Manual of Mental Disorders. He made up a disease called "Internet addiction disorder" (IAD). In the message, he described symptoms of the disease. One symptom Goldberg listed was that "important social and occupational activities are given up or reduced because of Internet use". Other symptoms included dreaming about the Internet and having uncontrolled movements of the fingers as if typing.
To Goldberg's surprise, several colleagues admitted to suffering IAD and asked him for help. In response, Goldberg set up the Internet Addiction Support Group online for his colleagues. Soon, hundreds of self-described addicts began to post messages on the site, and some people admitted surfing up to twelve hours per day. Several universities and hospitals in the United States began to set up counseling services for those with IAD. Despite his uneasiness over the part he played in this "discovery," Goldberg says he posts a message to members of the Internet addicts forum every six months or so, trying to get them to consider why they are online and to consider psychotherapy.
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