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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 getting my console, I fell in love with it," said Danny, a 16-year-old junior in a high school in Cincinnati. "I loved being able to shut everything up 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 dependent. I think this is evident in our behavior, "said psychiatrist Kimberly Young, who has led the field of research since the founding of the Center for Internet Addiction in 1995." This is obviously becoming a public health problem because health is influenced by the 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 a video game therapy clinician's guide, said excessive gambling and use of the Internet could indicate other mental illnesses, but should not be labeled as unrelated disorders .
"It's a bit like pathologizing behavior without really understanding what's going on," he said.
'REBOOT'
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 south of Cincinnati.
Lindner Center for Hope's "Reboot" program offers hospital treatments for 11-17 year olds who, like Danny, are drug addicts: online games, money games, social networks, badgraphy and badting, often to flee 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.
Patients "rebooted" 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 several cases, including Danny's, where youth were using the Internet to "heal" instead of drugs and 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 chemicals that induce pleasure and is accessible from a very young age, said Tuell.
"The brain does not really care what it is, whether it is in my throat, that I put it in my nose, that I see it with my eyes, or that I do it with my hands," said Tuell. "There are a lot of neurochemicals in the brain."
Even then, 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 always there," Danny said as he pulled out his smartphone. "I feel it in my pocket. But I am better to ignore it. "
IS IT A REAL TROUBLE?
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 tracking tool that allows people to take breaks on their screen as part of their parent company's Google Digital Wellness initiative.
WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said that Internet addiction is being "intensively researched" and should be considered for future clbadification. The American Psychiatric Association has described gambling disorder as one of the "conditions to be studied later".
"Whether it's clbadified or not, people are presenting 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 an illness," said Danny. "People who joke that it's not serious enough to be a super-official, it hurts me personally."
Posted in Daily Times, January 28th 2019.
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