First US Inpatient Treatment Program For Internet Addiction Opening In September 89
cold fjord writes "Fox News reports, '... a psychiatric hospital in central Pennsylvania is now set to become the country's first facility of its kind to offer an inpatient treatment program for people it diagnoses with severe Internet addiction. The voluntary, 10-day program is set to open on Sept. 9 at the Behavioral Health Services at Bradford Regional Medical Center. The program was organized by experts in the field and cognitive specialists with backgrounds in treating more familiar addictions like drug and alcohol abuse. '[Internet addiction] is a problem in this country that can be more pervasive than alcoholism,' said Dr. Kimberly Young, ... 'The Internet is free, legal and fat free.' The program is designed to accommodate four adult patients at a time, with each new class slated to begin treatment on the same day. These classes take part in group therapy and are placed inside a wing of the hospital designated for other addicts. These patients will undergo a psychological evaluation and learn ways they can minimally use the Internet and avoid problematic applications.'"
What is the problem? (Score:5, Insightful)
The Internet is free, legal and fat free
So what is the problem? Some people will always be happy to find a time sink. If the internet didn't exist these 'addicts' would be eating, watching TV, gaming or taking illicit substances all day. So easy to blame the time sink when these problems are rooted much deeper.
Addiction shmadiction? (Score:5, Insightful)
A 'digital detox' is when the patient is cut off from any Internet connection or computer use for 72 hours. For many, the thought of being disconnected from the Internet may feel like a vacation. But for those with the addiction, they can face withdrawals similar to those seen in people addicted to marijuana.
For some of us, the thought of 72 hours without a book - or some written text in general - is equally frightening. Also, the authors are apparently confused by the distinction between online games and the Internet at large.
We also need a "television addiction" program then (Score:2, Insightful)
I'll take an "internet addiction" diagnosis and treatment program seriously as soon as the Boomers concede that they have a crisis-level problem with consuming television.
Re:What is the problem? (Score:5, Insightful)
That's the handy thing about self-selection: regardless of how trivial the problem seems, when they have to sign up (and stump up $14,000...) voluntarily, you can be pretty sure that you'll get a set of patients who are genuinely deeply troubled by it. Given that the internet isn't physically addictive, and large swaths of it are actually pretty dull in excess, I'd expect somebody who seeks treatment for 'internet addiction' to have some sort of doing-stuff issue (even if the root cause is something like an anxiety issue, with the internet just being the most accessible retreat).
Once you start doing involuntary adult or child work, you are under rather more of an obligation to have an actual criterion or criteria to distinguish 'Timmy would rather play WoW than do homework, which upsets his parents' from 'Timmy is an addict', since there you are indulging in overt coercion at the behest of people other than the patient.
Re:What is the problem? (Score:4, Insightful)
So what is the problem? Some people will always be happy to find a time sink.
An addiction is not just a "time sink." It's an addiction when you can't stop a behavior, even when it is harming your life.
Acknowledging that some people are addicted to internet usage, and need help, is not the same as saying that the internet is "bad." There's no need to get so defensive about it.