Addiction: The compulsive need for, and use of, a habit-forming substance (such as heroin, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, or other) characterized by well-defined psychological symptoms upon withdrawal. Also persistent, compulsive use of a substance or behavior known by the user to be harmful. Integral: Essential to a person’s completeness, formed asContinue Reading
All of us are impulsive to some degree, acting spontaneously, doing something on a whim. For example, buying a few lottery tickets while picking up a few groceries, or perhaps playing a little online poker just for fun, how about placing a bid on that almost new set of golfContinue Reading
While excessive cyber or internet activity has not been listed as an official disorder, it can be problematic, compulsive, even dangerous. Have you ever felt that while your computer is booting up it should display an ominous warning message similar to signs on highways for curve ahead, falling rocks, slipperyContinue Reading
Cyberchondria, also known as compuchondria, is a relatively recent term derived from the words cyber and hypochondria. It is defined broadly as an anxiety-induced escalation of concerns during a health-related online search. For example, a person searches online for “sore throat” and becomes horrified by reading descriptions of throat cancer.Continue Reading
Along with the phenomenon of cell phones and smart phones is another way of communicating called texting. Texting, for those of you who aren’t aware, is usually a brief typed text message that is sent to another cell phone and appears on the receiving party’s screen. Texting is a veryContinue Reading
Shopping Addiction or Internet Shopping Disorder can be defined as compulsive, episodic purchasing of goods. Like many other problem behaviors, Shopping Addiction can easily be amplified and escalated online. Not long ago, compulsive shopping was more under control and more easily self-regulated due to time-limiting store hours and the shearContinue Reading
If you are anything like the vast majority of today’s population, you have a serious, undiagnosed addiction that you aren’t even aware of. Or worse, you are afraid to acknowledge it. Should you immediately join a 12-step program? Consult a counselor? We will come back to this answer of whatContinue Reading
The average person fiddles with their smartphones over two thousand times per day. This is a truly astounding number. Actually, the number is two thousand six hundred seventeen (2,617) times a day. We can’t think of any other object that even comes close, not even a baby. This fact comesContinue Reading
Many people eat mindlessly, without thinking about what they’re doing. When eating becomes automatic you barely even taste the food, or know how much you’re consuming. As a result, people eat too much of all the wrong foods. If you are stressed or depressed it gets worse, leading to aContinue Reading
Anything that disrupts our normal sleep affects our sleep-wake cycle. This can lead to an imbalance in sleep Homeostasis and Circadian Cycles. For many people, poor sleep constitutes a serious medical problem. Doctors describe and treat nearly one hundred different sleep disorders. Each year more than 40 million Americans sufferContinue Reading