Could a combination of therapeutic and pharmacological treatments cure people of an addiction to video games?
But so far, most advice has depended upon existing addiction literature."Efficacy of Short-term Treatment of Internet and Computer Game Addiction: A Randomized Clinical Trial" is a new, five-year study published in the American Medical Association journalThe study was conducted in four outpatient clinics in Austria and Germany, from January 2012 to June 2017 and tested a modified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, based on gambling disorder treatments already in use in outpatient settings.
The 15-week treatment"conceptualizes Internet Addiction as resulting from a dynamic interaction of individual factors, features of the online activity, dysfunctional coping strategies, and disorder-specific cognitive biases." All subjects were men between 17 and 55 years-old. Treatment combined individual and group sessions divided over three broad phases, focused on establishing therapy goals, using the internet in healthy ways and ending with therapy focused on techniques for preventing relapse.
"It is important to emphasize that it does not automatically mean you are addicted if you are keen on playing computer games," one of the study's co-authors,."It is important to keep in mind that only a minority is developing an addictive behavior towards gaming and other internet activities. On the same hand, it is equally important to take these patients seriously and to accept that they are suffering and in need of help. Anything else would be mere ignorance.
Despite a high drop-out rate from participants , the research found a strong effect among those who completed the CBT therapy, with 50 of 72 men in the CBT group self-reporting remission, compared to 17 of 71 from the control group, for an effect size of 1.19., Internet Gaming Disorder is identified in Section III as a condition warranting more clinical research. The new study published insuggests one way forward in not only treating, but expanding our understanding of gaming addiction.
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