Symptoms and Comorbidities in IA Patients
"Play" by Nancy Jean Lopez
In addition to increased frustration with technology, both the De Montfort and the Duisburg-Essen studies note several comorbid or simultaneous conditions in study participants. In addition to maladaptive responses, the De Montfort participants reported feeling depressed when faced with technology failures. They would often become withdrawn and use self-deprecating language ("I am useless;" "I have done something wrong;" "It is my fault") (Hadlington 11). The Duisburg-Essen study noticed higher rates of depression and social anxiety in participants who use Internet-communications applications to foment their social needs (Wegmann 34). Both studies refer to these findings as comorbid conditions; they do not imply that IA causes depression and social anxiety, only that people who also have these conditions are more likely to use social media platforms.
In a randomized clinical trial at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenburg University, Wolfing and his team explored the effects of excessive internet usage as well as possible treatment options for patients with IA. Using the Beck Depression Inventory-II assessment, the researchers evaluated 187 potential study participants. One hundred forty-nine patients qualified for the study, and over half exhibited mild to moderate depression symptoms (Wolfling et al. 1021). Study psychologists applied cognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT) techniques to study participants over several months. Wolfling reported that "several patients became depressed over the course of the trial, and a few needed to be transferred to inpatient psychotherapy. This finding concurs with our clinical experience that, in some cases, reduction of the addictive online behavior may also destabilize emotional self-regulation" (1023). The destabilizing effect is similar to what many drug addicts also experience when they abstain from the source of their addiction.