There are many addictions, including drugs and alcohol, but only some are treated as a real health threat and one doctor believes e-mail and text messaging should be included on that list.

High School junior Breata Murillo's parents took her phone away when texting took over her life. "I couldn't leave it at home. I'd freak out. I took it everywhere with me. If the battery would die, I'd cry sometimes."

It got bad enough, even her grades started to suffer. She claims to have sent about 200 messages a day.

A doctor, published in the March edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry argues internet, email and text addiction are real and should be treated as a clinical addiction. "Looking at it as a pure addiction is too simplistic. We've got to understand why they are doing it," said Dr. Thomas Wise.

Wise, chairman of Inova Fairfax's Department of Psychiatry, said much more study is needed before texting can be called an addiction, but said it can certainly get out of control and indicate a psychological issue.

"A condition that needs some form of attention, per se, when it begins to cause distress in their occupational functions, your social setting, or your personal setting."

Murillo said she is much more focused in class and that her grades improved without her cell phone. The author of the article said he's particularly concerned about the potential of text message addiction because of its link to car accidents, stalking and harassment.

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