A few months ago, it wasn’t unusual for Carla Toebe to spend 15 hours per day online.

She’d wake up early, turn on her laptop and chat on Internet dating sites and instant-messaging programs — leaving her bed for only brief intervals.

It took near-constant complaints from her four daughters before she realized she had a problem.

Toebe’s conclusion: She felt like she was “addicted” to the Internet.

She’s not alone.

Concern about excessive Internet use — sometimes called Internet addiction, pathological or compulsive Internet use and computer addiction in some quarters, and vigorously dismissed as a fad illness in others — isn’t new. As far back as 1995, articles in medical journals and the establishment of a Pennsylvania treatment center for overusers generated interest in the subject.

But as reliance on the Web grows — Internet users average about 3½ hours online each day, according to a 2005 survey by Stanford University researchers — the question is getting more serious attention: Last month, a study published in CNS Spectrums, an international neuropsychiatric medicine journal, claimed to be the first large-scale look at excessive Internet use.

And the American Psychiatric Association may consider listing Internet addiction in the next edition of its diagnostic manual.

“There’s no question that there are people who are seriously in trouble because of the fact that they’re overdoing their Internet involvement,” said Ivan K. Goldberg, a psychiatrist in private practice in New York.

Goldberg calls the problem a disorder rather than a true addiction.

Jonathan Bishop, a researcher in Wales specializing in online communities, is more skeptical.

“The Internet is an environment,” he said. “You can’t be addicted to the environment.”

Bishop, who has had several articles published on the topic, describes the problem as a matter of priorities, which can be solved by encouraging people to prioritize other life goals and plans in place of time spent online.

“The Internet problem is still in its infancy,” said Elias Aboujaoude, lead study author of the CNS Spectrums study, a psychiatrist and director of the Impulse Control Disorders Clinic at Stanford.

No single online activity is to blame for excessive use, he said. “They’re online in chat rooms, checking e-mail every two minutes, blogs. It really runs the gamut. (The problem is) not limited to porn or gambling” Web sites.

In the 2005 survey, conducted by the Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society, single people and younger people were more likely to use the Internet than others. Survey participants reported that an hour spent online reduced face time with family members by nearly 24 minutes; an hour on the Internet reduced sleep time by about 12 minutes.

More than half the time spent online involved communication (including chat rooms, e-mail and instant messaging), the report said; the rest of the time is spent updating personal Web pages and browsing news groups, social networking and dating Web sites, as well as other sites.

Internet Obsession: What the study said

The new CNS Spectrums study was based on results of a nationwide telephone survey of more than 2,500 adults. Like the 2005 survey, this one was conducted by Stanford University researchers.

— 6 percent of respondents reported that “their relationships suffered as a result of excessive Internet use.”

— 9 percent attempted to conceal “nonessential Internet use.”

— Nearly 4 percent reported feeling “preoccupied by the Internet when offline.”

— About 8 percent said they used the Internet as a way to escape problems.

— Almost 14 percent reported they “found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time.”

Symptoms

Excessive Internet use should be defined not by the number of hours spent online but “in terms of losses,” said Maressa Hecht Orzack, a Harvard University professor and director of Computer Addiction Services at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., founded in 1995.

The Web site for Orzack’s center lists these as some psychological symptoms of computer addiction:

— Having a sense of well-being or euphoria while at the computer.

— Craving more and more time at the computer.

— Neglect of family and friends.

— Feeling empty, depressed or irritable when not at the computer.

— Lying to employers and family about activities.

— Inability to stop the activity.

— Problems with school or job.

Physical symptoms listed include dry eyes, carpal tunnel syndrome, migraines, backaches, skipping meals, poor personal hygiene and sleep disturbances.

Tips

These tips may be helpful in dealing with Internet use that feels excessive to you or others around you. But experts caution that use that is heavy enough to interfere with other areas of life may be a sign of mood and anxiety disorders and advise that you seek counseling if the problem persists. 

— Learn your pattern. If you typically turn on your laptop as soon as you get home, try varying your routine to avoid the computer. 

— Plan alternative activities during times when you’d usually be online. Cook, take a nap, watch television or go to the gym or for a walk. 

— Set a timer. Stay online only for the amount of time planned. 

— Join social groups that have you interacting regularly with others in person. 

— If you’re fearful of interacting with other people face to face, consider joining a support, therapy or personal skills group that will offer help and encouragement in this area. 

— Consider individual counseling or therapy if needed.