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Texts: This course was based in part on Internet and Gaming Addiction: Current Perspectives by Daria Kuss, and Current Psychiatry Reviews, 2012, 8, 292-298. Internet Addiction: A Brief Summary of Research and Practice Hilarie Cash et. al.
CEs for this presentation can be earned at https://www.allceus.com/member/cart/index/search?q=internet+and+gaming
Objectives
Define Internet and Gaming Addiction
Explore how these behaviors can develop into addictions
Identify risk factors in individuals more predisposed to becoming addicted
Identify characteristics of video games and online activities that make it addictive
Review the most commonly accepted goals for treatment of internet and gaming addiction
Review the most common biopsychosocial interventions to address internet and gaming addiction
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2. Objectives
Define Internet and Gaming Addiction
Explore the metamorphosis of internet use and
video games into addictive behaviors.
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3. Why I Care/How It Impacts Recovery
The internet provides an immense amount of
information, although not all credible.
Constant novelty of the internet can serve as an
escape
Video games, online gambling, online shopping
and pornography all have the potential to become
problematic
Social media also has an addictive quality that
can cause withdrawal and exacerbate mood
disorders and/or addictions
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4. Symptoms
Downplaying and defensiveness about how much time you
spend playing computer or video games
Lack of control: Spending more and more time playing
video or computer games to get the same enjoyment
Withdrawing from friends, family, or your spouse to the
point of disrupting family, social, or work life
Experiencing feelings of anger, depression, moodiness,
anxiety, or restlessness when you’re not gaming
Spending significant sums of money for online services,
computer upgrades, or gaming systems
Preoccupation: Thinking obsessively about being on the
computer or playing video games even when doing other
things
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6. Consequences
Social
50 percent report a strain in their marriage as a result
of their addiction
Failure to develop effective face-to-face interpersonal
skills
Inability or agitation “sitting still”
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7. What Makes a Video Game Addictive
High Score
Beating the Game
No Ending to the Game – i.e. Massive Multiplayer
Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs)
Role Playing
Novelty/Discovery
A good portion of World of Warcraft is spent exploring
imaginary worlds, and Minecraft is spent designing new
worlds
Relationships
Acceptance
A place to anonymously try out different personas
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8. What Makes a Video Game Addictive
Researchers at Hammersmith Hospital in London
conducted a study in 2005 which found that
dopamine levels in players' brains doubled while
they were playing
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9. Risk Factors
Need to escape
Poor interpersonal relationships
Easily bored
Sensation seeking/adrenaline junkies
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10. Treatment
Goals
Abstinence from problematic applications/sites
Balanced internet usage
Interventions
Prevent use
parental controls: Turn internet off at a certain time
Firewalls
Timers
Look for and accentuate exceptions
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12. Treatment
Interventions
Decisional Balance
Benefits to use
Can help identify psychosocial issues needing attention
Can identify areas in which to target alternate rewards
Drawbacks to use (Accentuate this quadrant)
Benefits to abstinence (Accentuate this quadrant)
Drawbacks to abstinence
Can help identify psychosocial issues needing attention
Can identify areas in which to target alternate rewards
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14. Treatment
Interventions
Medications: Temporarily rebalance neurotransmitters
with
SSRIs (Lexapro, Welbutrin)
Naltrexone (an opiate agonist)
Dexmethylphenidate
Exercise
Increases serotonin and dopamine
Sunlight can help regulate neurotransmitters including
melatonin and improve sleep and mood
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15. Treatment
Interventions
Nutrition
Water (dehydration can cause symptoms of depression)
Oats
Bananas
Chicken
Dairy products
Green leafy veggies
Almonds and walnuts
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16. Apply It
Identify 3 ways you could have used this information
in the past week.
What was the situation?
What did you do?
If you would have had this new information, what could
you have done differently?
How can you start integrating this knowledge into your
routine?
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17. Summary
Like other addictions, internet addiction can have
physical, social, financial and emotional
consequences
In our digital age, it is highly unlikely that people can
completely unplug.
Similar to other behavioral addictions like eating and
sex, it is necessary to identify the motivations behind
the internet use
Additionally, by its very rewarding nature, internet
addiction will cause neurochemical imbalances which
can lead to depression and apathy.
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18. Summary
Recovery involves addressing
Underlying mood, self esteem and coping issues
Identifying triggers for use and ways to deal with them
Creating a relapse prevention plan
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19. VideoGameAddiction.net
NetAddictionRecovery.blogspot.com
"Virtual Addiction" David N. Greenfield, Ph.D.,
"Caught in the Net" Dr. Kimberly Young
Center for Internet Addiction Recovery
American Psychiatric Association
Online Gamers Anonymous ( http://www.olganon.org)
Gentile, D.A. (2009). Pathological video game use
among youth 8 to 18: a national study. Psychological
Science, 20, 594-602.
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