Mental illness, it's a big problem. So not content with just the simple ones such as schizophrenia and depression, a doctor has added excessive gaming, internet sexual pre-occupation, email and texting to the long, long list of mentalisms that need treating, according to an article in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Dr. Jerald J Block, who is a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, detailed four distinct symptoms that plague sufferers. These being; withdrawal and an associated sense of anger or depression when users cannot reach a computer, the constant need for better equipment and the feeling of social isolation and fatigue are all signs of technology-related mental disorders. Oh God, nurse the straitjackets!

"Attempts to measure the phenomenon are clouded by shame, denial and minimisation," said Dr Block.

He added that the "disease" is difficult to cure because internet addiction is "resistant to treatment, entails significant risks and has high relapse rates".

The problem is worst in South Korea, according to the doctor. In that country internet addiction is one of the country's "most serious public health issues".

"Using data from 2006, the South Korean government estimates that approximately 210,000 South Korean children are afflicted and require treatment, " said Dr Block.

The Asian country set up a network of 140 'tough love' rehabilitation centres in November 2006 to wean people off of the interweb thingy.

Dr. Block said that 80 per cent of those who need treatment may require medication and around 25 per cent may need to be admitted to hospital (where presumably they can hire one of those internet console they provide at the bedside nowadays).

In the US, the figures are not so easy to come by, but Dr Block warned that the trend for "games and virtual sex to be accessed from the home" brought up a different conundrum.

The research also found that 86 per cent of "internet addicts" also have some other form of a mental disorder - possibly the well known syndrome called "Billy no mates".

So if you are reading this, quick turn off the computer before they haul you away!