Professionals: Technology addiction is real

As technology becomes increasingly omnipresent, some people have begun to ask if we own our technology or if it owns us. For some of us, has technology become an addiction?

"There are questions about your smartphone you need to ask," said Danielle Moreggi, a clinical psychologist and director of counseling and psychological services and disability resources at the College of Southern Nevada. "Do you have it first thing in the morning? Do you have it last thing at night? Do you have it on your person at all times? Do you ever shut it off, and what would be the reason you would shut it off?"

Moreggi noted that there are times when this sort of behavior — and others, such as constantly checking email — make sense.

"For the majority of working professionals, the addiction is their email," she said. "They feel it's an expectation of their job that they have to respond immediately. There are some people, like trauma surgeons, who can never be without their phone. That doesn't mean you have to be checking your email constantly. There might be real qualifying factors, like someone who's waiting for a call or a message about a job interview or a promotion versus someone who doesn't want to put their phone down because of Facebook or Twitter or getting bonus points on a video game."

Oscar Sida, instructor and Human Services Program coordinator at UNLV, said that while there are people who are addicted to the stimulation of technology, in the majority of cases, technology addiction is a symptom of a larger issue.

"What we see with people with a technology addiction is that they really have another mental health condition, like anxiety, depression or some other stressor," he said. "They're using technology to escape and/or avoid their emotions."

In many cases, the technology can seem to fill the need for human interaction and can be experienced as a relationship in itself.

"When you're in a relationship, and you also have a relationship with your phone, you start to run into problems," Moreggi said. "In couples therapy, I've begun asking clients a lot of questions about the phone. I've started referring to it as 'the other woman' or 'the other man.' It depends on the level of attachment."

If someone is genuinely addicted to technology, Moreggi and Sida believe that breaking that addiction is much simpler than if the addiction is masking a deeper issue.

"It's a matter of being aware of when you use it," Sida said. "Do you use it when you're uncomfortable? Do you use it when you're upset? It can be similar to substance addictions where people use the technology to self-medicate, but there are healthy coping mechanisms. There's meditation, taking a walk, exercising, journaling or spending more time with friends and family."

For more complex cases, there are addiction specialists who can assist.

"It's important that people know that there is help out there," Sida said. "Treatment is available, and it works."

— To reach East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor, email ataylor@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4532.