When too much of Wikipedia is not a good thing

A routine search grew into an unhealthy Internet-based dependency and landed man at NIMHANS

Thousands of seekers of information may find Wikipedia an easy and useful way to gather information but the open source encyclopaedia turned into an addiction for a 24-year-old man.

What started as a casual search nearly five years ago had him spending an average of eight to ten hours a day on it, sometimes even without toilet breaks for hours.

Soon enough, he complained of neck pain, bodily fatigue, strain to the eyes and difficulty in sleeping as he mostly accessed Wikipedia on his phone, searching for and reading on topics related to spirituality, fiction and scientific information on the universe.

SHUT to the rescue

When he was brought to the Service of Healthy Use of Technology (SHUT) clinic at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) here, he was diagnosed with interpersonal maladjustment, decreased communication with his parents, not being participative in family interactions, and reduced outdoor activities. Besides psychological problems, he was found to be getting irritable with any advice to shun Wikipedia. Naturally, his intense addiction took a toll on his academic pursuits.

At the SHUT clinic in NIMHANS, which has treated several kinds of addictions so far, this was the first case of its kind being reported. “We found the case to be novel and one that required wider awareness,” said Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, Additional Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS, who has since published a paper ‘Wikipedia use: Risk for developing technology addiction’ in Industrial Psychiatry Journal.

Behavioural therapy

During the nearly two weeks of counselling the patient underwent in August 2015, Dr. Sharma said that the 24-year-old slowly acknowledged the need to reduce his dysfunctions.

Besides introducing behavioural therapy to address his anger, NIMHANS conducted sessions for his family to address their concerns. The paper also notes that gradually, over a period of time, he made lifestyle changes, and his dependence on Wikipedia also decreased.