How many people do you know that are addicted to emails and social messaging at work only to remain glued to them in their free time?

Are you one of them?

The number of people who are what psychologists refer to as “digitally dependent” has risen by 30% in the past 3 years – a shocking statistic.

But what is the root cause of this addiction? And what are its possible effects?

Psychiatrist Dr Nerina Ramlakhan works with organisations and individuals to combat information overload and is convinced that people get into a cycle of addiction and therefore find it impossible to switch off – physically as well as mentally. She writes “(People) become exhausted but cannot switch their brains off”

We know that email addiction is a real and present danger and the increased use of Blackberries and PDAs outside the office can add to the chances of becoming hooked.

As email etiquette consultants, we recommend that email users switch off email alerts – their constant interruption is proven to be detrimental to concentration and causes stress. 

It always takes time to re-focus on tasks once the interruption has happened.

Only yesterday a senior manager told me that he had surrendered his Blackberry. Three weeks in and he is not missing it in the least, is not missing any work and is feeling far less stressed.