Are you a tangled mess of emails, iPhones, mobiles, laptops, video games, and social networking sites? Here's how to untangle your life and find a healthy balance. Learn what you miss as you indulge in the overuse of technology. Help yourself and your friends from the pitfall of technology!

Case No. 1

A 13-year-old male referred for,

- demanding money,

- not attending school,

- becoming aggressive, abusive, and occasionally violent towards parents,

- careless about personal care and hygiene...

The patient's father, a pediatrician having an overprotective attitude towards the patient, and the mother a housewife with a psychiatric problem, presently stable with medication. 

The family is materially adequate for the child but emotionally inadequate. 

The patient was initially hesitant but later discussed his problem with the therapist. "I need money because I need to be online 24 hours a day. They do not allow me to use the computer at home for so long. Then I have to go to a net cafe. I have hundreds of friends and I went to increase the number even more."

This patient has a history of being addicted to social networking. He has not one, but several accounts with different names and different personal details on several networking sites. He is literally online 24 x 7, always jittery, anxious, and trying to chat or send messages, pokes, etc. to several friends simultaneously. He has been bunking school regularly for the past 2 years and has recently dropped out of school after failing twice in standard 8th. It is a race for him speeding up to be prompt in answering in his chat conversations with many people at the same time. He becomes irritated when disturbed on one of his sprees when he is rocketing into high!

This patient was forcefully admitted because he was troubling his father for 2 new computers to keep pace with his addiction.

Case No. 2

Another 13-year-old male referred for complaints of self-harm and threatening suicide. 

The patient's father is a laborer and his mother working as a housemaid. Obviously, the family is materially inadequate. 

The patient was admitted after a very serious suicidal attempt. He still had an ugly scar around his neck where he had tried to hang himself to a fan just because his parents could not afford to buy a particular mobile phone for him!

He had already owned 50-60 (yeah, really) mobiles previously asking for new ones after either discarding or destroying the first one. It was discarded simply because it was outdated or destroyed to get a new one and the newer applications and better technology it offered. would catch his fancy. He just had to have it at any cost!

Already a school dropout he fought, destroyed things especially phones, abused and mishandled his parents, harmed himself by cutting his wrists, banging his head, and recently attempting suicide. Does technology play such a greater role in your life that you are ready to give your life for it? That to even a mobile phone?!

Both these cases have been diagnosed as addicts. They have all kinds of personality factors as well as other symptoms normally seen in addicts, traits like chronic anxiety, a pervading sense of inferiority, self- indulgent tendencies, risk-taking, novelty-seeking, social- phobias, etc.

It is very difficult to recognize this as an addiction because there is no substance involved and they might often remain undetected.

But how would we detect such cases as addicts?

Clinically, a disease is confirmed if the following factors are present- Aerological Agent (the virus) or the CAUSE--- in this case, TECHNOLOGY.

Epidemiology or how the patient comes in contact with the agent (contacts the virus)--- in this case, all are exposed to technology. 

Pathogenesis or the consequences (becoming sick) in this case he becomes addicted. 

Lesion or focus of damage- in this case, his whole life!

Now the diseased part begins because each person reacts to stimulus in different ways. For eg.:- if we take Cortex for cough, we take it and leave as soon as the cough is cured, but an addict continues to use it- and in more and more quantities! Just because his brain and body react to it in a different way! 

Some people use it rightly for a specific purpose which is meaningful or entertaining for a while. Some misuse it as in the case of criminals. And some abuse it like addicts. 

Addiction is a chronic illness which manifests itself as a disorder of behavior. It is characterized by repeatedly abusing a substance or substances to an extent that exceeds customary use, is non- compliant with social norms, and interferes with the addict's physical, mental, social, economic, and career-wise functioning.

It is marked as a dependency syndrome. Any kind of hindrance in his abuse causes problems and reactions like extreme mood swings, anxiety, anger, outbursts, aggression, violence abusive behavior, self- harm or suicide or suicide attempts or ideations. 

There is a loss of control and he becomes obsessed with his substance of choice. It has been declared as a disease by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is a permanent and progressive disorder, leading to untimely death, insanity, or institutionalization if untreated.

The Early Stage:-

It probably starts with either watching TV or playing with video games. The excitement they create could spark off these addictive tendencies. We often see even small children who are often bored being with grownups start playing games either on the mobile or on a computer and do so for long periods. This is very convenient for the grownups because they are not disturbed by the child. But when this crosses the limits, the disease has taken over! Either this or a need to be a part of their peer group often leads to becoming engrossed with such gadgets. The person becomes acclimatized to the use of gadgets and every time he uses it he experiences a warm glow or high and a potential addict starts craving for this feeling. He starts becoming preoccupied with thoughts of how and when to procure the substance of his choice. He will wait eagerly for school or office to be over or to get a break in order to sneak in a few attempts at using during work hours. 

The Middle Phase:-

Gradually he will lose control and start neglecting school or office work. He will override feelings of guilt or shame or the concepts of right and wrong. He will find various excuses and if nothing works he will resort to hostility, aggression, emotional blackmail and will go to any length whatsoever for his high.

He will lose control over the quantity, quality, time, and place to use. He starts facing problems in all the areas of his life. He doesn't know where to STOP!

The Chronic Stage:-

This is a stage where there is a complete loss of reality. He is unconcerned about the consequences of his behavior, ethical breakdown, fear. loneliness and utter disregard for anything and everything. 

Thus this disease progresses since it is progressive and is also a permanent thing. It has also been established as a hereditary disease after studies of twins from addictive families and research is being conducted to learn more about this addictive gene. 

What is That They Miss in Life?

This is a question that they need to reflect upon because they are not aware that leading a normal, routine life, facing the challenges it has, and coming out unscathed and rich in experience is a gift that life offers. They consider it as a problem. They miss out on the fun and the happiness when our efforts prove to be fruitful and when things dome by us add meaning to life. They only look at happiness but miss the whole path that leads towards it. The path that consists of responsibility, having priorities, being aware of one's circumstances. It consists of being aware of our own- self as a person. Of creating your own image and respecting it. An addict seeks to do it in shortcuts. 

Recovery on this is not the same way as in other diseases but it is a continuous process. It starts from abstaining from its use and should be combined with a healthy adjustment os thoughts and feelings towards achieving a balance and harmony with the living environment. It involves learning of life skills to manage life in a better way. It is learning to cope effectively with life's problems. It means he has to lead a structured and disciplined life with the help of a structured program that provides him with guidelines for effective thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, regulating emotional reactions. This helps him read a normal qualitative life.

Thank You