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Therapist Sees Signs Of "Technology Overload"

March 20, 2007
Is your cell phone attached to your ear? Do you hyperventilate when you can't check your email? Living in an age of advanced technology has its advantages, but how much technology is too much?

"We live in a world with wonderful technological advances," says John O'Neill, director of social work at The Menninger Clinic, a psychiatric hospital in Houston, Texas.

"However, when the technology designed to make life easier becomes so powerful that it affects our relationships with people, our ability to take a break and causes us to feel lost without it, we may question how advanced it really is."

O'Neill says he has seen the effect of technology overload on patients in the Professionals in Crisis Program at Menninger -- patients who may have spent hours each day on their computers, cell phones or BlackBerry devices, at the expense of their family or friends. He also has treated patients addicted to gambling, gaming and viewing pornography on the Internet.

So when should we pull the plug?

In moderation, O'Neill says technology offers many benefits. But step away from the computer, turn off the cell phone and have a face-to-face, human conversation if you have any of the following warning signs, O'Neill said.

1. You need your connection ... now! You panic or become irritable when you can't get cell phone service, your Internet connection is down or your cable or satellite feed is not working.

2. You lose track of time. "You may have a problem if you consistently get lost in the Internet world, intending to spend an hour, and looking up, you discover it has been four hours," O'Neill said. "Or you use your BlackBerry so much, the term crackberry has meaning for you."

3. You lose track of family and friends. You spend less and less time participating in personal activities or limit your time with friends and family to attend to your email or return phone calls. You frequently miss appointments or are late because you got caught up on the Internet, checking e-mail or talking on your cell phone.

4. Your life revolves around technology and not actual relationships. "When you start or end your day on the Internet checking e-mails or chatting, that's a sign that technology is taking over your life," O'Neill said.

5. You can't leave home without it. You can't take a vacation without bringing four different charging devices for all your gadgets and gizmos. Your car needs extra batteries to power all of your devices.

"When your cell phone ear piece becomes a permanent part of your wardrobe, that's a problem," O'Neill said.

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