Not yet, but maybe one is under development somewhere. But what is compulsive-impulsive spectrum disorder? And why should you care? Are you sitting down? Because this affliction is otherwise known as Internet addiction, and it appears to be a common disorder that one wag suggests merits inclusion in DSM-V.

The diagnosis involves online and/or offline computer usage and consists of at least three subtypes: excessive gaming, sexual preoccupations, and e-mail and text messaging, according to an editorial in The American Journal of Psychiatry written by Jerald Block, a Portland, Oregon, psychoanalyst.

These behaviors, he writes, share the following four characteristics: excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time or a neglect of basic drives; withdrawal, including feelings of anger, tension, and/or depression when the computer is inaccessible; tolerance, including the need for better computer equipment, more software, or more hours of use; and negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation, and fatigue.

Unfortunately, Internet addiction is resistant to treatment, entails significant risks, and has high relapse rates. Of course, if a drugmaker is unwilling to step up and find a pill for this problem, Block has an answer - he owns a patent on technology that can be used to restrict computer access. Curiously, Robert Freedman, the journal’s editor-in-chief, reviewed the editorial and found “no evidence of influence from this relationship.” Okay, how about a pill for conflict-of-interest disorder?