Chapter 12 – Cyberpsychology and Psychopathology

Chapter Summary

What Is Psychopathology?

  • Psychopathology is a difficult concept to define.  Many definitions elude to ‘the four D’s’ – comprising of deviance, destress, dysfunction, and danger.
  • The study of mental health embraces a broad field of psychological problems that can occur in people’s lives. These problems include stress, anxiety, addiction, and mood disorders.

DSM-5 and How It Views the Internet

  • The Diagnostic Statistical Manual published by the American Psychiatric Association is the standard tool used to classify mental disorders. The most recent publication is the DSM-5TR (APA, 2022).
  • The predecessor to the DSM-5TR was the DSM-5 (2013). This publication identified Internet gamers as an at-risk population, who may develop dependence or an addiction to online gaming. The DSM-5 outlines the proposed criteria for the inclusion of this disorder for future publications.
  • The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11) considers gaming disorders. The debate as to whether internet gaming disorder is a valid disorder is ongoing.
  • Internet gaming may be similar to gambling as the reward systems of the brain are activated and can be considered behavioural addiction.
  • A large proportion of the research relating to online addiction comes from Asia and further research is necessary for it to be considered as a disorder in the next DSM.

What Is the Range of Internet-Based Disorders?

  • PIU, problematic computer use, Internet addictions, Internet dependency, and pathological Internet use are all terms that relate to problematic Internet use.
  • Traditional models of addiction have been used to explain Internet addiction.
  • Sex, gambling, online relationships, and shopping are also included as problematic.

Internet Gaming

  • Gamers identify that they play games for entertainment, leisure, and also as an emotional coping mechanism. 
  • Some hard-core players may suffer from emotional problems and low self-esteem.
  • Internet gaming has attracted a lot of media and academic attention but the cultural context of gaming needs to be considered.

Social Networking

  • Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram etc. are very much part of everyday life.
  • Menon and Meghana (2021) suggest that the motivations for using social networks include interaction, information seeking, and escapism.

Nomophobia and Mobile Usage

  • Nomophobia is a relatively new word that refers to the fear of being out of mobile phone contact, a run-down battery, or losing the phone itself. It is shaped by technological and digital tools and a fear of being out of digital contact with people and information.
  • Overuse can lead to problems, such as mobile phone addiction, and problematic mobile phone usage.
  • We need to consider why people use mobile technologies and consider both the advantages and disadvantages of mobile technology.

Pathological Internet Usage

The Possibility of Internet Addiction

  • Internet Addiction Disorder is not considered by the DSM-5/DSM-5TR.
  • The ICD-11 identifies gaming disorder as problematic.
  • Overuse of the Internet may have a negative impact on relationships and physical health.
  • Screen time refers to time spent on any screen. Research on screen time is fairly new and our tolerance of time spent on screens may be tampered by Internet usage over the COVID-19 period.

Is It Possible to Be Addicted to the Internet?

  • The definition of the term ‘addiction’ is problematic.
  • However, there are a number of digital detox programmes available for those who wish to ‘unwire’.

Treatment Options

  • It is important to recognise that Internet addiction may be a disease of contemporary society and new models of treatment are likely to emerge over time.
  • Abstinence is another option, however this is difficult due to the prevalence of the web in our lives.
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Harm Reduction Therapy (HRT) may be a useful therapeutic options.

Using Technology to Support Recovery

  • Virtual Reality (VR) has been identified as a potentially useful treatment for a number of mental health problems, i.e. anxiety, depression, and addiction.
  • Virtual Environments (VE) can support CBT interventions.
  • Gaming has been identified as useful in improving mood.
  • Computerised CBT (cCBT) has the potential to be used as a self-help or therapist-based tool and can cover a wide range of health difficulties.
  • Computer gaming is useful in helping to treat children and adolescents with anxiety disorders.
  • Online counselling has been effective in offering treatment for a number of years now. COVID-19 has accelerated the growth and acceptance of online counselling and therapy.

  • Chapter 12 – Useful Websites

    The CyberPsychology, Behavior and Social Networking (Mary Ann Libert, Inc.) is a monthly peer-reviewed journal that focuses on many aspects of online behaviour.

    Dr. Kimberly Young is an expert on Internet addiction. Her website – Net Addiction hosts a number of interesting papers and suggested readings.  The Home page has a link to her TED Talk – ‘A Growing Epidemic’.

    Dr. Mark Griffiths is the director of the International Gaming Research Unit in Nottingham Trent University and has published widely in the area of behavioural addiction. You can read his articles on The Conversation here:

    Dr. Amy Orben’s list of publications includes research into social media, technology panics, social media and teenagers, and psychological well-being amongst others.

  • Chapter 12 – Further Reading

    The following book specifically focuses on real world application of human behaviour in relation to the use of the Internet. Specifically, Chapter 6 explores the term Internet Addiction from a clinical aspect.

    • Attrill, A. and Fullwood, C. (Ed.). (2016). Applied Cyberpsychology: Practical Applications of Cyberpsychological Theory and Research. Palgrave MacMillan.

    Understanding psychological theory in relation to online behaviour is core to cyberpsychology. In this book, areas such as technology interaction and interactivity, health, gaming, and cybercrime are addressed.

    • Attrill-Smith, A., Fullwood, C., Keep, M., and Kuss, D. J. (Eds.). (2018). The Oxford handbook of cyberpsychology. Oxford University Press.

    Technology itself, is neither positive nor negative, how we use technology defines its positive and negative effects on areas such as well-being. Linda Kaye explores areas of screentime, gaming, the effects of technology, and gaming among other areas.

    • Kaye, L. K. (2022). Issues and Debates in Cyberpsychology. McGraw Hill.

    In this article, Coyle, McGlade, Doherty and O’Reilly (2011) explore the first adolescent therapeutic intervention to fully integrate a computer game into Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

    • Coyle, D., McGlade, N., Doherty, G., and O’Reilly, G. (2011). Exploratory evaluations of a computer game supporting cognitive behavioural therapy for adolescents. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 2937–2946). ACM.
    • http://www.davidcoyle.org/docs/Coyle%20et%20al%20CHI2011.pdf

    The following two chapters from the book Cyberpsychology give an outline of the areas involved in online addiction and online counselling. Attrill, A. (Ed.). (2015). Cyberpsychology. Oxford University Press.

    • Chapters 11: The Psychology of Online Addictive Behaviour – Mark D. Griffiths
    • Chapter 13:  Online Therapies and Counselling – Melanie Nguyen

    The three chapters from The Oxford Handbook of Cyberpsychology. Oxford University Press by Attrill-Smith, A., Fullwood, C., Keep, M., & Kuss, D. J. (Eds.). (2019) may be of interest.

    • Chapter 23: A psychological overview of Gaming Disorder – Daria J. Kuss, Halley Pontes, Orsolya Kiraly and Zsolt Demetrovics
    • Chapter 25: The therapeutic and health benefits of playing video games – Mark Griffiths
    • Chapter 28:  The psychosocial effects of gaming. Michelle Colder Carras, Rachel Kowert and Thornsten Quandt.

  • Chapter 12 – Audio and Video links

    In her research, Amy Orben addresses concerns about screen-time and social media use on adolescent psychological well-being and mental health whilst considering the limitations of research and the moral panic that surrounds some media usage.

    Pesky gNATs is a website developed by Handaxe CIC. This is a not-for-profit community and was founded by Dr. David Coyle and Dr. Gary O’Reilly.  The Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) computer game is aimed at young people who are suffering from mental health issues.  This brief video gives an overview of how CBT can be applied in a therapeutic setting, which is engaging for young people and stigma-free.

    The COVID Generation is considered in this webinar available from the London School of Economics (LSE) facilitated by Professor Sonia Livingstone. Digital reliance increased over the course of the pandemic, the panel discusses how children’s lives became digital practically overnight and considers how children could be served better in our current digital world.

  • Chapter 12 – Essay questions

    1. Outline how the Internet can support people with poor mental health.
    2. Discuss how online-gaming can be considered addictive.
    3. Social Networking is a way of life for many people today.  Compare and contrast the positive and negative aspects of Social Networking on mental health.
    4. Does Internet addiction really exist?
    5. Evaluate how the Internet can act as a support to people with poor mental health.

Chapter 12 – Quiz

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