(n.d.). Retrieved from http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/111122071555-computer-games-story-top.jpg
"The real problem is that most people laugh at you and don't consider it a serious thing."
These are the words of Ryan Van Cleave, an Internet addict that became so addicted to online gaming that he even contemplated ending his life. After being laid off from his job as a college professor, he was playing online games up to 80 hours a week. He was neglecting friends and family and ignoring his wife. However, he felt that, no matter how hard he tried to overcome this addiction, it was hard to find support when so many others didn't believe in the validity of his problem.
Doctors at the Bradford Regional Medical Center in Pennsylvania are hoping to change this. In September, they opened the first inpatient treatment program for Internet addicts. The program accommodates up to four individuals at a time, who all start and end the program together. Participants stay for a 10-day treatment, which includes a 72 hour "digital detox" and a psychological evaluation. These participants are hoping to overcome their addictions with the help of this program.
However, this isn't the first program of its type in the world. The United States is behind other nations such as China, Taiwan, and Korea, which have all previously opened treatment centers for Internet addicts. Doctors are hoping that, with the opening of this center in Pennsylvania, not only will addicts be able to seek treatment, but others will begin to see just how real of a problem this addiction is.
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Participants in the program may go through withdrawal symptoms similar to that of a hard drug user. The doctors running the program believe that they may have to even medicate some of the participants in order to get them through the detox at the beginning of their treatments. They know that this will be a tough experience for the participants, but they are looking to heal them of their addictions.
Addiction to the Internet is not currently listed as a mental illness in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Therefore, being able to receive this treatment comes at a steep price: insurance will not cover a penny of the program's $14,000 cost.
While the doctors involved in the study believe this is a step in the right direction toward public recognition of this condition, other experts believe this particular experience is a bit premature. Dr. Allen Frances, a professor emeritus at Duke University, believes it is too difficult to distinguish true Internet addicts from recreational Internet users. He states that, while some people may spend large amounts of time on the computer, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are addicted. "Addiction implies a pattern of use that you can't stop," he says. Just because people may be spending many hours on the Internet doesn't mean that they can't stop.
What do you think? Do you believe that this treatment is a step in the right direction, or do you feel, like Dr. Allen Frances, that the difference between Internet users and addicts is too difficult to distinguish?
Sources
Tinker, B. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/07/health/internet-addiction-treatment-center/
