"I'M 31 YEARS old. I should be out there achieving something, but I can't . . . Right now I'm hooked to this digital version of an IV drip with cocaine in it, and I can't break free for the life of me." So ends one of the confessions on a website where people addicted to the computer game World of Warcraft seek support. Known to be particularly habit-forming, World of Warcraft launches players on elaborate adventures in a virtual universe, often in the company of buddies that they meet inside the game. In some cases, players become so invested in their virtual lives that they lose jobs, stop showering, or rig up impromptu "toilets" near their computers.

Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist in Portland, Ore., specializes in treating those who've spent years living as warlocks, ogres, or spaceship commanders. He believes that psychiatry needs to do a lot of catching up in order to understand why people get stuck in games like Warcraft. One problem: Most therapists have no idea what a "guild" is or what it means to hit Level 60. Because of this language barrier, many gamers wind up begging for help in online support groups rather than seeking out mental health professionals.

Recently, Block published an editorial in the American Journal of Psychiatry arguing that "Internet Addiction" should become a new diagnostic term.

IDEAS: Describe the people who walk into your office. What does a computer compulsion look like?

BLOCK: Some people come in for trouble with Internet porn. But the computer gamers tend to be harder to treat. People feel a lot of shame around computer games. Whereas, it's socially acceptable to have a porn problem.

IDEAS: You can't be serious. You mean your clients are more ashamed of ...

BLOCK: ...playing World of Warcraft than looking at porn. Yes.

IDEAS: Why?

BLOCK: As a society we understand that porn is something people do, and you can see a psychiatrist and get treated for it. But gaming is hard to describe to anyone else. So these people can't explain their situation to friends. In fact, it's hard to give you an example of what my clients talk about, because gaming is enormously complicated.

IDEAS: Well, give it a try.

BLOCK: OK, there was a man engaged in a game called Eve Online. He was one of the most powerful characters in the universe of this game. He had played for years and accumulated great wealth; he would have been worth about $17,000 if he sold his character and all his virtual assets on eBay .

Well, within the game someone took out a contract on his life. And in the span of one night, this guy lost thousands of dollars, lost his alter ego, and was betrayed by everyone he knew in this world.