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At age 13, Danny Reagan began to show signs of what doctors typically badociate with addiction. He became restless, secretive and retired from his friends. He had left baseball and scouts, and he had stopped doing homework and showering.
But he did not use drugs. He was addicted to YouTube and video games, to the point that he could not do anything else. As doctors confirm, he was addicted to his electronics.
"After having my console, I fell in love with it," said Danny, now 16 and a junior in a high school in Cincinnati. "I loved being able to close everything and relax."
Danny was different from typical trendy American teens. According to psychiatrists, Internet addiction, characterized by a loss of control over the use of the Internet and a disregard for the consequences that results, affects up to 8% of Americans and is becoming increasingly more common worldwide.
"We are all slightly addicted, I think this is evident in our behavior," said psychiatrist Kimberly Young, who has been leading the research field since the creation of the Center for Internet Addiction in 1995. "This is obviously becoming a problem. health is influenced by behavior. "
Psychiatrists such as Young, who have been studying Internet compulsive behavior for decades, are now seeing more cases, opening up a wave of new treatment programs across the United States. Mental health centers in Florida, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and other states are now adding Internet drug treatment to inpatients.
Some skeptics view Internet addiction as a false condition, developed by teenagers who refuse to tidy up their smartphones, and the Reagans say they've had trouble explaining it to their extended family.
Anthony Bean, psychologist and author of the clinician's guide on the treatment of video games, said that excessive gambling and the use of the Internet could indicate other mental illnesses, but should not be qualified unrest.
"It's a bit like pathologizing behavior without really understanding what's going on," he said.
& # 39; Reboot & # 39;
At first, Danny's parents took him to the doctor and made him sign contracts pledging to limit his use of the Internet. Nothing worked until they discovered an innovative therapeutic center in Mason, Ohio, about 35 km north of Cincinnati.
The Lindner Center for Hope's "Reboot" program offers hospital treatments for 11-17 year-olds who, like Danny, have addictions such as online gambling, gambling, social networking, badgraphy and gambling. badting, often to escape the symptoms of mental illness. like depression and anxiety.
Danny was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder at age 5 and Anxiety Disorder at age 6. The doctors claimed that he was developing an internet addiction to deal with these disorders.
"Reboot" patients spend 28 days in a suburban facility equipped with 16 bedrooms, clbadrooms, a gym and a dining room.
They undergo diagnostic tests, psychotherapy and learn to moderate their use of the Internet.
Chris Tuell, Clinical Director of Addiction Services, launched the program in December after witnessing a number of cases, including Danny's, where young people used the Internet to "heal" themselves in place of drugs and drugs. ;alcohol.
The Internet, although it is not officially recognized as an addictive substance, similarly diverts the reward system of the brain by triggering the release of fun-loving chemicals and is accessible from an early age, said Tuell.
"The brain really does not care what it is, whether in my throat, in my nose, in my eyes or in my hands," Tuell said. "Many of the same neurochemicals in the brain occur."
Even in this case, recovering from an addiction to the Internet is different from other addictions because it's not about "becoming sober," Tuell said. Internet has become unavoidable and essential in schools, at home and at the workplace.
"It's still here," Danny said, taking out his smartphone.
"I feel it in my pocket, but I'm better at ignoring it."
Is it a real mess?
Medical experts have begun to take Internet addiction more seriously.
Neither the World Health Organization (WHO) nor the American Psychiatric Association recognize Internet addiction as a disorder. Last year, however, the WHO recognized more specific gambling disorder after years of research in China, South Korea, and Taiwan, where doctors called the public health crisis problem .
Some game makers and online consoles have warned players to play games excessively. YouTube has created a time monitoring tool to encourage viewers to take breaks on their screen as part of the "digital wellness" initiative of its parent company, Google.
WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said that Internet addiction is being "intensively researched" and should be considered for future clbadification. The American Psychiatric Association has categorized gambling disorder as "conditions requiring further study".
"Whether it's clbadified or not, people have these problems," said Tuell.
Tuell recalled someone whose addiction was so severe that the patient was going to take care of his needs rather than let his electronics use the bathroom.
Research on Internet addiction may soon produce empirical results consistent with medical clbadification standards, said Tuell, as psychologists have found evidence of brain adaptation in teenagers who compulsively gamble and use the Internet .
"It's not a choice, it's a mess and a disease," Danny said. "People who joke that it's not serious enough to be a super-official, it hurts me personally."
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