Think that Facebook addiction is harmless?

College students spend a great deal of time on their computers and the Internet, using it for classwork and as a relaxing release from the stress of college life and a way to stay connected with friends and family. What they may not know, however, is there is a point where this addiction may be a medical problem.

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine say a variety of people are addicted to the Internet, not just those who seek out pornography and gambling sites.

They found that more than one in eight Americans exhibited at least one possible sign of "problematic" Internet use, and those who seek treatment are not unlike drug or alcohol addicts.

In the study, Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, director of Stanford's Impulse Control Disorders Clinic, noted this similarity. The patients' drive to compulsively use the Internet is similar to that of other impulse-control disorders, characterized by the repetitive and irresistible urge to perform a pleasurable act that will lead to personal and professional problems and become otherwise intrusive in one's life.

"Our telephone survey suggests that potential markers of problematic Internet use are present in a sizeable portion of the population," the researchers noted in their paper, which appears in the October issue of CNS Spectrums: The International Journal of Neuropsychiatric Medicine.

Internet addiction disorder (IAD) was first theorized by Dr. Ivan Goldberg in 1995. Defined as a maladaptive pattern of Internet use, IAD can lead to clinically significant impairment or distress.

This distress manifests itself through several symptoms: Increased tolerance (the need for increased amounts of time on the Internet to achieve satisfaction) and Internet use occurring more often or for longer periods of time than intended.

Other symptoms include persistent desire and unsuccessful efforts to reduce Internet use and other types of withdrawl, large amounts of time spent in activities related to Internet use, frequent talks about the Internet in daily life, important activities given up or reduced because of Internet use, and Internet use continued despite knowledge of a problem.

Dr. David Greenfield, founder of the Center for Internet Studies, told the Monitor on Psychology, "The Internet is unlike anything we've seen before. It's a socially connecting device that's socially isolating at the same time."

With the advent of Facebook.com and other new programs and sites, students have recognized that they spend more time on the Internet, as evidenced by the more than 200 Facebook groups for self-proclaimed Facebook addicts.

"Compared to other people, I'm nowhere near being an addict. But sometimes I find myself on Facebook looking at pictures, and before I know it, hours have gone by and, I haven't done any work," admits Jessica Aiken '08.

Besides Facebook, other examples of IAD triggers include: Chat rooms, Wikipedia, Instant Messaging, Internet pornography, fantasy sports, MySpace, gambling sites, eBay and computer games such as World of Warcraft.

Aboujaoude acknowledged that there is still no consensus from the medical community as to whether Internet addiction is a self-contained disorder or whether it might be an expression of other psychopathologies such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. There are, however, counselors trained to treat the Internet addiction.

The Web site netaddiction.com, for instance, claims to be the "Center for Internet Addiction Recovery." It offers IAD facts, treatment services for various types of Internet addiction, recovery resources, blogs, and podcasts.

According to the site, 5-10 percent of the population suffers from Internet addiction. It claims that men are more likely to become addicted to online games, cyber porn, and online gambling.

Women, meanwhile, are more likely to become addicted to chatting, Instant Messaging, eBay, and online shopping. Only a few treatment centers for Internet addiction have opened in the United States, but many psychologists who specialize in addiction are able to treat patients with Internet addiction.

The People's Republic of China opened the first government clinic for Internet addiction in March of 2005. According to Wired.com, the clinic treats patients-usually between the ages of 14 and 24-who suffer from anxiety, lack of sleep, and depression due to excessive time spent on the Internet.

Treatments include physical activity, counseling, antidepressants, strict sleeping patterns, or the "cold turkey" method.