UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM

New Facts And Hot Stats From The Social Sciences

He was a kid with a big, big problem, recalls Harvard psychologist Maressa
Hecht Orzack. "I have been a computer addict since I was 11," wrote the
boy, then 14 years old, in an e-mail message to Orzack. He told her he was
a onetime A-student who now had trouble even making D's. He was missing
meals, losing track of time and falling asleep in school--all because of
the time he spent on his computer. "I'm afraid that I will run away if my
parents take my computer away. It is almost like the computer owns me."

Orzack says she hears similar stories all the time. She's the founder and
director of Computer Addiction Services at McLean Hospital, a
Harvard-affiliated teaching hospital in Belmont, Mass. She estimates that
between 5 to 15 percent of all computer users are hooked on their machines.

Of course, Orzack's not suggesting that people need their computers in the
same way that a heroin addict needs a fix. Computer addiction is more
subtle--but no less insidious. "You can tell people to stop drinking or
using drugs," she said. "Today you simply can't say, 'Don't use a computer.' "

People have been talking about computer addiction for years. First
dismissed as so much pop-psychology pap, computer addiction is now
prompting many social scientists and physicians to take a second look as
more Americans find that they just can't say no to their computers. Some
colleges now offer counseling for students lost in cyberspace. Recently,
representatives of corporate employee assistance programs have come to
Orzack for advice on how to wean workers off their machines. There's even a
new scientific journal called Cyber Psychology and Behavior that is devoted
to computer-related behavioral disorders.

Orzack said she sees about five patients a week for computer-related
problems. Some are addicted to a specific activity. One patient is deeply
into online auctions. Others are hopelessly hooked on cybersex. "One man
came in the other day and confessed, 'Online stock buying: what an
addiction!' " Several, she said, are former drug addicts who have
substituted one bad habit for another.

Orzack knows just how destructive computer addiction can be: She's a
recovering computer junkie herself.

A few years ago, she tried to teach herself to use WordPerfect 6.1, "but I
got frustrated and increasingly kept skipping out of the program to play
computer Solitaire. Suddenly, I was spending much too much time on the
machine just playing Solitaire, losing sleep. It even affected my work.
'Enough!' I finally said." She managed to break her habit by putting
herself on a strict schedule that limited the time she spent on the
computer--an initial strategy she recommends to her patients.

For those who think they may be suffering from computer addiction, Orzack
maintains a site (www.computeraddiction.com) that describes the condition
and lists frequently asked questions about it.

Hmmm--a Web site for computer addicts. Isn't that a little like holding an
Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in a bar? "You are right," Orzack admitted. "I
use that phrase all the time." The Web site merely lets people know that
help is available, she said. The real healing is done the old fashioned
way, in face-to-face counseling sessions. "Besides," she said, "I cannot
treat online since I am licensed in Massachusetts, not in cyberspace."

RESEARCH NOTES

UH, WHAT IMPEACHMENT? Perhaps the president's impeachment by the House and
acquittal in his Senate trial isn't the earth-shattering, paradigm-shifting
event that some pundits and political scientists think it is. More than
half--53 percent--of those interviewed in a recent Washington Post survey
said they couldn't recall or didn't know whether their representative in
Congress voted for or against impeachment last December. The memories of
self-described registered voters weren't much better: 47 percent said they
didn't remember or never knew how their House members voted.

LISTEN TO THE VOX POP Forget all that loose talk about how Americans want
their political leaders to vote their consciences and not follow the polls
or public opinion when casting key votes. More than six in 10 Americans--63
percent--said they wanted members of Congress to "stick closely to American
public opinion . . . including results of polls" when making legislative
decisions, while 34 percent said members should "do what they think is best."

Are You a Computer Addict?

Here are some of the psychological warning signs that suggest you may be
addicted to your computer. No single factor automatically means you're
hooked. But if "yes" is your answer to most of these questions, you may
have a problem, said psychologist Maressa Hecht Orzack.

Do you feel irritable and out of control or depressed when not using the
computer?

Are you spending increasing amounts of time and money on hardware,
software, magazines and computer-related activities that you don't really
need?

Do you use the computer for pleasure, gratification or relief from stress?

Do you lie about the amount of time spent on computer activities?

Are you risking loss of career goals, educational objectives and personal
relationships because of the computer?