Chapter five looks at how people have both endangered and sought to promote their well being through mediated communication. The first issue that is addressed is Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). The chapter reviews the symptoms of the disorder and focuses particular attention on the sexual nature of some addictions. The text also questions if IAD is a bona fide disorder in response to many criticisms of it and its pundits. The second issue raised herein is online therapy. Virtual support groups, the types of communication exchanged in them, and the shortfalls of the practice are subsequently discussed.

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Ask your students to consider how reliable the "free" health advice on the World Wide Web is. Direct each student to select a disease or mental disorder with which they have some familiarity or interest. (You could use the example of Internet Addiction Disorder in class and pull on the results offered in chapter five.)

Each student should identify at least five sites from the World Wide Web dealing with a given topic. Encourage them to select a variety of sites: some combination of personal homepages, those sponsored by non-profit organizations, commercial sites from pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, or practitioners, sites for support groups, etc.

Have the students compare the information about the disorder on each of these sites. What information was held in common and what was novel? What criteria would you use to determine which information to accept and which to reject?

Typically, many students will not find major discrepancies in the diagnoses as they compare sites; however, a number of students will have found subtle if not stark contradictions in some instances. (Quackwatch could help you identify one reserve example to make the point if necessary.) Ask students to adopt an empathetic stance and consider how vulnerable someone suffering this disorder could be to misleading advice. Just because a lot of health-related information may be correct, does that mean all of it is legitimate? 

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Download a PowerPoint slideshow for this chapter 

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To request sample test questions, contact Matthew Smith at <msmith@wittenberg.edu>. [Instructors only. Proof of institutional affiliation will be required.]

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McGraw, P. C. (2000). Relationship rescue: A seven-step strategy for reconnecting with your partner [Cassette]. New York: Simon & Shuster.

"Dr. Phil" rose to national prominence as a frequent guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and now has his own television program. Listening to his or any other self-help tape (many of which are likely to be available in the audio book section of a public library) can help students who are unfamiliar with the self-help movement connect to the artifacts of this industry. As noted in chapter five, the self-help movement helped spark the growth of support groups and, in time, virtual support groups.

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