A warning signal to parents and teachers about the serious problem of young people 's addiction to Internet, emit child psychiatrists and psychotherapists.
The problem, according to the latest data, tends to take on "epidemic" proportions worldwide, as according to studies in Asia the addiction rate is over 10%, in America 7.5% and in Greece close to 10%.
In China, there are an estimated 10 million addicted young people, while in South Korea, after 10 deaths caused by excessive impulsive use of the Internet, addiction is considered one of the most serious public health issues.
"The Internet is a medium that has changed our lives a lot. It facilitates our daily life, gives incredible information, but no good pure evil "emphasizes the child psychiatrist Mrs. Mersini Armenaka, on the occasion of February 11 (International Day of Safe Internet Navigation).
The Internet, σύμφωνα με τους ειδικούς, αποτελεί πλέον στοιχείο της ζωής μας αλλά ο τρόπος που χρησιμοποιείται σχετίζεται κατά πολύ με τις ανάγκες των ατόμων .Κρύβει δε κινδύνους και παγίδες για τους νέους που μόνο με τη επικοινωνία και την υποστήριξη της οικογένειες μπορούν να αντιμετωπισθούν.
"In all forms of addiction, whether it concerns the internet or the use of substances or food issues, the family factor has been found to be the catalyst either as a cause or as a timely intervention," Ms. Armenaka explains.
"In clinical childhood psychiatric practice, children who get to the point of being addicted to the internet are children with inadequate communication with their parents and difficult-pathological everyday life. Children looking for a way to cut off everyday problems and appease the intense feelings that overwhelm them in a way that untie them from reality. "
INDICATIONS OF YOUNG ADDICTION ON THE INTERNET
Parents should be mobilized immediately when their child:
• Has daily long internet browsing
• Neglects his obligations due to navigation
• Has reduced performance in school
• Prefers navigation from contact with a friend or family member
• Becoming aggressive in questions about internet use
• He thinks that life will be boring without the internet
• Loses hours of sleep due to many hours on the internet
• Tries to hide how many hours are online
• Prefers to navigate the exit with a friend from home
• He is very irritable
• Fails, after discussion, to reduce the hours on the Internet despite his effort.
Their first moves should be to check email, facebook and twitter, while at the same time they should consult a child psychiatrist.
Treatment is either individual psychotherapy based on Cognitive Type interventions and psychoeducation, or group and family psychotherapy in specialized Internet Addiction treatment centers.
There are also some foreign literature self-help manuals that help with milder problems or for initial information of the person. There are also websites (netaddiction.com, globaladdiction.org, healthyplace.com) for tests, which the child can complete for a rough assessment if they need immediate referral for treatment by mental health professionals.
THE FUTURE COST IS UNKNOWN
They also engage in fortune games and use material with sexual content much more frequently than others.
Observing the psychopathology presented by addicted young people shows increased tendencies of self-aggression and delinquent behaviors, while even young people with marginal use (stage before "addiction", but problematic use) show tendencies of depressive feeling, low self-esteem and social anxiety. "In general, adolescents with problematic use seem to acquire a misunderstood 'comfort' with the internet by removing boundaries and presenting high-risk behaviors," concludes Ms. Armenaka.
Beyond these risks, neuroscientists go one step further by worrying about the long-term effects on future generations at the anatomical and pathophysiological level.
And this is because it has been known in recent decades that the brain δεν είναι ένα στατικό όργανο αλλά διαμορφώνεται σε όλη μας την ζωή. Από την νευροβιολογική οπτική φαίνεται ότι η λειτουργία του εγκεφάλου μας είναι αποτέλεσμα μιας διαρκούς σύνδεσης νευρωνικών κυκλωμάτων που επηρεάζονται από την nature us, our upbringing, our experiences and the heritage we carry.
That is, our parental influences, the acquaintances we make in our lives, and even psychotherapy change the brain by changing the synaptic connections of neurons and the circuits of nerves. Human acquaintances create neural connections, as Siegel reported since 1999. Experiences shape the brain that is essentially Experience is biology, according to the same researcher.
Because the brain is an adaptable organ and its structures are built through interactions with others around us, when these effects are lacking, the consequences will be long-term similar to those of institutionalization in babies.
Child psychiatric observational studies of babies living in orphanages showed that babies who had the necessary material goods but lacked caress and human communication were unable to develop physically and mentally and died. Proportionally, the lack of contact at older ages leads to social decline and this seems to be caused by the obsession with online life.
