Inken Putzig’s research while affiliated with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik und Nervenheilkunde  and other places

Objectives There is good scientific evidence that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is both a predictor and a comorbidity of addictive disorders in adulthood. These associations not only focus on substance-related addictions but also on behavioral addictions like gambling disorder and Internet use disorder (IUD). For IUD, systematic reviews have identified ADHD as one of the most prevalent comorbidities besides depressive and anxiety disorders. Yet, there is a need to further understand the connections between both disorders to derive implications for specific treatment and prevention. This is especially the case in adult clinical populations where little is known about these relations so far. This study was meant to further investigate this issue in more detail based on the general hypothesis that there is a decisive intersection of psychopathology and etiology between IUD and ADHD. Methods Two case–control samples were examined at a university hospital. Adult ADHD and IUD patients ran through a comprehensive clinical and psychometrical workup. Results We found support for the hypothesis that ADHD and IUD share psychopathological features. Among patients of each group, we found substantial prevalence rates of a comorbid ADHD in IUD and vice versa. Furthermore, ADHD symptoms were positively associated with media use times and symptoms of Internet addiction in both samples. Discussion Clinical practitioners should be aware of the close relationships between the two disorders both diagnostically and therapeutically. When it comes to regain control over one’s Internet use throughout treatment and rehabilitation, a potential shift of addiction must be kept in mind on side of practitioners and patients.

Background and Objectives With the Cyberspace's exponential growth of influence questions arise about its mental impacts. The presented study examines the question whether the dependent use of the Internet can be understood as an impulse control disorder, an addiction or as a symptom of other psychiatric conditions. Methods Internet dependent patients seeking for psychiatric assistance and fulfilling the criteria for pathological Internet use (PIU) were examined with the Structured Clinical Interview according to DSM-IV (SCID), and a variety of questionnaires including the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES). The patient group was compared to a matched group of healthy controls. Results The adult patient-group consisted of 25 subjects, 76% male, with a mean age of 29.36 years. Average time spent in Cyberspace was 6.47 h/d, mostly in online-role-playing games. According to SCID I and BDI, 19 patients (76%) suffered from a depressive syndrome, with 10 cases of major depressive disorder (40%) and 8 cases of adjustment disorder with depression (32%). Six patients (24%) suffered from a comorbid anxiety disorder. Compared to controls, the patient group presented significantly higher levels of depression (BDI), impulsivity (BIS) and dissociation (DES). Conclusions PIU shares common psychopathological features and comorbidities with substance related disorders. Therefore, it might be seen as a diagnostic entity in itself within a spectrum of behavioral and substance dependencies. Especially Internet role play may contain an addictive potential for adolescents and adults with subclinical psychopathology.

Former studies show that Internet addiction goes along with a high comorbidity rate of depression and anxiety disorders. Since the Internet offers a possibility to attain social contacts safely and anonymously, depressed individuals may be at a higher risk to develop an Internet addiction. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of depression have been recruited from the psychiatric department of Hanover Medical School. The participants were compared with a control group concerning their media use. The two groups consisted of 25 subjects, each with 56% females and mean ages of 34,4 years (patients) and 32,4 years (controls). The depressed subjects estimate themselves more frequently to be Internet addicted and are significantly (p ≤ 0,05) less satisfied with the quantity of their media consumption. Three of the depressed fulfil the criteria for Internet addiction from Young and Beard and three more hit the softer criteria from Young. The results of the Internet addiction scale (ISS) show one subject with Internet addiction and three at a high risk. The depressed patients scored significantly higher in the ISS (p ≤ 0,01). In total, the examination found six (24%) subjects among the depressed with a problematic or pathological Internet use. For further discussion, it is remarkable that 50% of the depressive patients agreed to the criterion “uses the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving an unpleasant mood”. This may contribute to the notion, that excessive use of Internet may be interpreted as a potentially pathological compensation of depressed patients’ inner conflicts.

Fragestellung: Internetabhangigkeit geht bei den zumeist jungen Betroffenen in der Regel mit einem ausgepragten sozialen Ruckzug und Entwicklungsverzogerungen in verschiedenen Lebensbereichen einher. Die vorliegende Untersuchung geht daruber hinaus von der Hypothese aus, dass Internetabhangige vergleichsweise haufig unter Storungen in den Bereichen Identitat und Interpersonalitat leiden. Methode: 25 Internetabhangige wurden klinisch und mit dem Strukturierten Klinischen Interview nach DSM-IV (SKID-I) auf komorbide Storungen untersucht. Psychometrisch wurden die Betroffenen mit einer gesunden Vergleichsgruppe (n = 25) mit Hilfe der Internetsuchtskala (ISS), der Sense-of-Coherence-Scale (SOC), dem Fragebogen fur Dissoziative Symptome (FDS) und dem Inventar fur Interpersonale Probleme (IIP-D) verglichen. Ergebnisse: Im Vergleich zeigen die Internetabhangigen neben einer hohen Komorbiditat, insbesondere fur Depressionen und Angsterkrankungen, signifikant niedrigere Werte fur Selbstkoharenz (SOC) und signifika...

Einleitung Jede neue technologische Entwicklung scheint anfänglich die Frage nach einem vermeintlichen Abhängigkeitspotenzial aufzuwerfen, welches sich rückblickend zumeist nicht bestätigen ließ. Die Konvergenz aller analogen Vorläufermedien in einem digitalen Großmedium sowie die neuartige Interaktivität im Cyberspace und in Computerspielen bieten eine Erklärung dafür, warum die Mediennutzung im klinischen Sinne erstmals in eine Abhängigkeit führen kann.

Background and Objectives: With the Cyberspace´s exponential growth of influence questions arise about its mental impacts. The presented study examines the question whether the dependent use of the Internet can be understood as an impulse control disorder, an addiction or as a symptom of other psychiatric conditions. Methods: Internet dependent patients seeking for psychiatric assistance and fulfilling the criteria for pathological Internet use (PIU) were examined with the Structured Clinical Interview according to DSM-IV (SCID), and a variety of questionnaires including the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES). The patient group was compared to a matched group of healthy controls. Results: The adult patient-group consisted of 25 subjects, 76% male, with a mean age of 29.36 years. Average time spent in Cyberspace was 6.47 h/d, mostly in online-role-playing games. According to SCID I and BDI, 19 patients (76%) suffered from a depressive syndrome, with 10 cases of major depressive disorder (40%) and 8 cases of adjustment disorder with depression (32%). Six patients (24%) suffered from a comorbid anxiety disorder. Compared to controls, the patient group presented significantly higher levels of depression (BDI), impulsivity (BIS) and dissociation (DES). Conclusions: PIU shares common psychopathological features and comorbidities with substance related disorders. Therefore, it might be seen as a diagnostic entity in itself in a spectrum of behavioural and substance dependencies. Especially Internet role play may contain an addictive potential for adolescents and adults with subclinical psychopathology.

OBJECTIVE In psychiatric contexts, the quick distribution of virtual techniques in private and professional everyday life gives rise to the question, if these can evoke a psychological addiction. Yet, the diagnostic assessment of internet or computer game dependency remains problematic. METHODS Within a study with 23 internet-dependent patients with significant psychological strain, 18 (77.8 %) were diagnosed with a depressive mood disorder by thorough clinical examination and structured interviews. The presented work compares psychometric test results of the depressed subpopulation with healthy controls matched for age, sex and school education. RESULTS In the Barrat Impulsiveness Scale patients with internet dependency scored significantly higher than the control group (p ≤ 0.05), while there was no significant correlation to the Internet Addiction Scale. Becks Depression Inventory and the Symptom-Checklist subscale for depression revealed significantly higher scores within the patient group as compared to controls (p ≤ 0.001). And in the Dissociative Experience Scale, the Sense of Coherence Scale and the Inventory for Interpersonal Problems the internet dependent subjects showed significantly more pathological scores than the healthy subjects (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Since internet dependency can be understood as a novel psychopathology of well known psychiatric conditions, every psychiatrist should be able to detect and treat it adequately, as long as there is a willingness to deal with the contents and impacts of cyberspace. Especially with depressed patients, it seems to be crucial to include questions about media usage in psychiatric examination taking.

In psychiatric contexts, the quick distribution of virtual techniques in private and professional everyday life gives rise to the question, if these can evoke a psychological addiction. Yet, the diagnostic assessment of internet or computer game dependency remains problematic. Within a study with 23 internet-dependent patients with significant psychological strain, 18 (77.8%) were diagnosed with a depressive mood disorder by thorough clinical examination and structured interviews. The presented work compares psychometric test results of the depressed subpopulation with healthy controls matched for age, sex and school education. In the Barrat Impulsiveness Scale patients with internet dependency scored significantly higher than the control group (p < or = 0.05), while there was no significant correlation to the Internet Addiction Scale. Becks Depression Inventory and the Symptom-Checklist subscale for depression revealed significantly higher scores within the patient group as compared to controls (p < or = 0.001). And in the Dissociative Experience Scale, the Sense of Coherence Scale and the Inventory for Interpersonal Problems the internet dependent subjects showed significantly more pathological scores than the healthy subjects (p < or = 0.05). Since internet dependency can be understood as a novel psychopathology of well known psychiatric conditions, every psychiatrist should be able to detect and treat it adequately, as long as there is a willingness to deal with the contents and impacts of cyberspace. Especially with depressed patients, it seems to be crucial to include questions about media usage in psychiatric examination taking.