Internet and Digital Game Addiction

If your child is addicted to the internet and game, Moodist has a solution!

Especially if the internet and game addiction seen in young people has reached a level that can disrupt school, work, social and family life, it is absolutely necessary to get professional help. In the Internet Addiction Treatment Program initiated by Moodist Psychiatry and Neurology Hospital for the first time in Turkey, a solution to this problem is produced with a scientific program and an expert staff…

Internet and computer games are an indispensable part of daily life of young people. However, today, examples of internet connectivity turning into addiction also show an increase. This addiction provides us with a photograph similar to that of alcohol and substance abuse. This photo clearly shows the main physical and psychological components of addiction, such as tolerance, deprivation, and relapse. For example; the desire to overuse the internet cannot be prevented, the time spent without being connected to the internet is losing its importance, when the internet is not available, nervousness or aggression arises, the school, work, social and family life of the individual gradually deteriorates. Many situations such as playing games, shopping, chat, social media, sexuality, browsing and gambling on the internet can cause internet addiction. Moodist Psychiatry and Neurology Hospital has developed the Internet Addiction Treatment Program for the first time in Turkey to solve the negative consequences of this addiction.

How to Understand Internet Addiction?

Individuals can consider their habits of surfing the internet and playing games over the past year and evaluate the following criteria for themselves. Moodist Psychiatry and Neurology Hospital physicians recommend receiving psychological support if five or more of these criteria overlap with the reality of the individual:

• Don’t get too preoccupied with Internet games. In this case, the person either thinks about the game he/she played before or expects to play the next game. Internet play is a dominant activity in everyday life.
• When playing online, withdrawal symptoms occur when the internet is taken away. These symptoms are often described as irritability, anxiety, or sadness, but they are not physical symptoms of pharmacological withdrawal.
• Time spent on Internet games is increasing. 
• The individual has difficulty in quitting internet games and makes unsuccessful attempts.
• As a result of playing online games and with the exception of internet games, previous hobbies and entertainment interest diminishes. 
• Although it is known to cause psychological problems, excessive use of internet games continues.
• He/she starts lying to family members, therapists or others about the duration of playing online games.
• Internet games are used to get rid of or avoid negative moods such as helplessness, guilt, feelings of anxiety. 
• An important relationship, job, education or career opportunity is jeopardized or lost due to playing online games.

What are Common Thinking Errors in Addiction?

• I’m just good on the internet.
• I’m worthless when I’m not online, but I’m an important person on the Internet. 
• I fail when I’m not on the Internet.
• The Internet is the only place I’m respected.
• Nobody likes me when I’m not online.
• The Internet is my only friend.
• People treat me badly off the Internet.
• It won’t hurt me to play just one more time.
• I’m not addicted to the Internet.
• Instead of addicted to alcohol and substance, I become addicted to the internet.
• There are worse people than me who have problems with the Internet.

What Risks Does Addiction Pose?

• Life away from hobbies and still.
• Negative and addicted circle of friends. Permanently low course success.
• Poor ability to make friends and communicate.
• Don’t have domestic conflicts.
• Difficulty in expressing oneself in social relations.
• Individuals raised in families that use technology negatively and unconsciously are at risk for internet / game addiction.

How to Find a Solution to Addiction in Moodist?

In the treatment of internet addiction, the Moodist Addiction Team treats psychopathology in co-diagnosed situations, then focuses on internet addiction, paying attention to the underlying symptoms of psychopathology that can cause internet addiction. In addition, he/she conducts prevention studies to prevent the recurrence of the disease by working on family behaviour patterns outside of individual therapy.

Depending on psychosocial problems such as excessive use of the internet or depression, loneliness, lack of social skills, dysfunctional patterns of thinking about oneself and the outside world such as’ overgeneralization’ , ‘all or nothing ‘and’ catastrophizing ‘begin to develop. The main goal in the treatment of internet addiction is not to completely restrict the use of the internet, but to make it controlled. The treatment process progresses in three stages: behaviour change, cognitive restructuring and harm reduction.

Moodist Psychiatric and Neurology Hospital Addiction Center works on internet addiction in a group therapy environment with families with the Internet Game Addicted Individuals Education Program created by international practices and experts in internet addiction.

This program, developed by Moodist Medical Team, aims to teach parents healthy internet boundaries according to age, to detect their children’s internet addiction and risk level, to find solutions to problems that may accompany internet addiction, to ensure that parents see their own attitudes and ineffective coping methods.

This program also answers the following questions:

• Who are we calling an internet addict? 
• Is your child really an addict? 
• What to do if your child uses it a lot?
• What needs to be done to learn right from wrong?
• How you treat your brothers 
• What can you do to prevent young people from going online?

In the treatment program that we plan to perform in group therapy format with parents whose children are internet addicted or at risk, families also have the opportunity to see effective and ineffective methods of other families through interactive methods and to evaluate their own attitudes.

With this treatment program, which is the first in Turkey, Moodist Addiction Center aims to help families understand their children and find solutions by focusing on the main problem instead of fighting technology. Other objectives of the programme are listed as follows:

• Working on old and current problems in the family.
• To provide communication skills to the family. 
• To give their children the ability to set rules and boundaries, to give responsibilities and to maintain their responsibilities.
• Encouraging family children to find new hobbies and activities.

The information on this page has been prepared by the Moodist Psychiatry and Neurology Hospital Medical Team.