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First US Inpatient Treatment Program For Internet Addiction Opening In September

Posted by samzenpus on from the just-one-more-page dept.

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.'"

89 comments

  1. I'm totally holding out by smittyoneeach · · Score: 4, Funny

    . . .for the one you do via SMS, while driving. Preliminary course outlines involve a cliff, I heard.

    --
    Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
    1. Re:I'm totally holding out by Dishevel · · Score: 1
      This story is just more proof that a vast majority of people are fucking idiots and need to die do to their inability to fend for themselves.

      Pull all the warning labels off things. Let Darwin take care of more people.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
    2. Re:I'm totally holding out by smittyoneeach · · Score: 1

      You really don't understand how bureaucracy works, do you?

      --
      Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
    3. Re:I'm totally holding out by Dishevel · · Score: 1
      Sure I do.

      They Don't.

      What was your point?

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
    4. Re:I'm totally holding out by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 2

      Couldn't agree more. That is why I advocate removing all types of regulation and consumer protections. If you're too stupid to have your imported food tested for melamine content then you're too stupid to live, I say.

      By the way, you misspelled "due."

      --
      http://www.rootstrikers.org/
    5. Re:I'm totally holding out by Dishevel · · Score: 1
      Whoops on the "Due"

      I do not advocate removing all consumer protections. UL is good. FDA is needed even though it mostly sucks at its job. What we do not need is a warning lable telling us not to use a hair dryer in the shower. Let those people die.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
    6. Re:I'm totally holding out by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Those test are expensive though. We should all band together and create an organization to test this stuff, and put a label on the food that is safe to eat. The cost to each of us will be lower, even if we just pay someone to run the thing. I'm not just thinking small groups either. Whole states could do it... In fact, states could get together and form some kind of food testing federation!

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    7. Re:I'm totally holding out by smittyoneeach · · Score: 1

      Bureaucracy is a cast. You need it for that fracture, but it never leaves, and atrophy follows.

      --
      Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
    8. Re:I'm totally holding out by ultranova · · Score: 1

      The alternative to bureaucracy is that some guy makes the decisions by himself. He dictates them. Let's call him "the dicatotor", shall we? Or we could go with anarchy and let the guy with the biggest stick take over.

      Congratulations, you're one of the "fucking idiots" who "need to die", according to yourself. But the problem is that you'll take more people with you and fuck things up on your way out even for those left behind. Which is why we need the warning labels on things and why the cold, unfeeling, bean-counting rationality of bureaucracy demands them to be there, even when morons like you might feel emotional distress at the terrifying thought of people continuing to draw breath despite failing some arbitrary witness test based on an imaginary alternative reality where humans aren't social animals yet somehow still developed culture.

      Count yourself lucky that some of us are capable of thinking beyond our gut reactions, you creep.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    9. Re:I'm totally holding out by Dishevel · · Score: 1

      The other alternative is to not turn things that do not absolutely have to be done by the government into another government bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is a necessary evil. Let us do our best to keep it as small as possible though.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
    10. Re:I'm totally holding out by ultranova · · Score: 1

      The other alternative is to not turn things that do not absolutely have to be done by the government into another government bureaucracy.

      There is no such thing as "absolutely have to". You don't absolutely have to eat; you'll die if you don't, but that's just a matter of consequences which you would likely find unpleasant. And in some cases it might be better to go hungry for a while rather than eat unhealthy or downright poisonous food. It's the same with government: you have to actually think about the consequences of taking one option or another, not just pick an ideology such as minarchism and shoot it at every problem like it was a silver bullet. That's been done, over and over again, and it's always been a disaster.

      Bureaucracy is a necessary evil. Let us do our best to keep it as small as possible though.

      And this is another thing: why do you consider bureaucracy to be evil? What is it that you're trying to achieve by minimising it? I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here and assuming you're not just trying to get people killed, as your original post would lead me to think.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    11. Re:I'm totally holding out by Dishevel · · Score: 1
      You do not need to have an FDA. We could just as easily get by with a private organization that certifies food and drugs as safe. The same way UL does. Bureaucracy is evil because they suck way more out of innovation and the economy than they need to. They kill jobs, slow innovation and hurt people all in the name of paperwork.

      The FDA banning a drug for a child dying of cancer because its safety has not been established is evil and stupid. As long as the parents and or the child knows that it could be unsafe they should have the right to attempt to live. Bureaucracy stops that. Bureaucracy at the FDA kills people for paperwork. Bureaucracy allows bad drugs to be marketed if the paperwork is filled out. Bureaucracy is an attempt to make intelligent and fair decisions by taking all though out of the decision and hoping that well written paperwork will fix it.

      It does not. It just allows people to not care about the decisions they make because "They" are not making them. So they can allow evil to happen to others if the "Paperwork/Rules" say it is so.

      Bureaucracies take the humanity out of decisions and therefore do evil. If you do not believe me thing of DMVs. A person that is a really good driver that takes his hands off the wheel too many times is not given a license. A person that barely squeaks through the test but the inspector can tell that they have no business on the road are given their papers to go out and kill on the road. They passed the test. "What could I do?"

      Also bureaucracies kill the drive of the people working in them. You move up by filling out the forms and moving on. Finding problems and attempting to fix them is just "Making trouble". The creation of loads of government bureaucratic drones from caring, driven, human stock is evil. For what they do to those using them and those working within them, a bureaucracy is evil. It's intentions may be good but whenever possible replace them.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
    12. Re:I'm totally holding out by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      Or we could go with anarchy and let the guy with the biggest stick take over.

      It's not anarchy if anybody 'takes over'. Well, okay, it is for the guy who took over, but for everyone else it's the same old shit. And by the way, the guy with the biggest stick is in charge, in case you haven't noticed. Either way, no bureaucracy should be given a license to kill...

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  2. What is the problem? by sosume · · 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.

    1. Re:What is the problem? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Internet addiction is not considered a mental disorder. Currently it is an area for additional study in the DSM-V. So I do have to wonder, how are these people paying for this treatment? I don't think an insurance company is going to send someone to an expensive inpatient treatment facility for something that isn't classified as a mental disorder. And how is the place licensed? A lot of this does not make sense, and my SCAM alarm is ringing.

    2. Re:What is the problem? by Thanshin · · Score: 3, Funny

      Once someone's set up on finding reasons to feed its brain and get the pleasure of feeling superior to others, it's no longer important if those reasons are real or not.

      Once one's addicted to the feeling of superiority, he has to feed it in increasingly growing doses. And you can only feel so smug for being whiter or having a better religion or living in a greater country. Eventually you need to also feel skinnier, more beautiful, more intelligent, or better in any way you can think of.

      Using less internet looks like decent crack for the severely smugness addicted.

      [Just like this very commentary, which, to the mind of the severely smugness addicted author, proves his immense intellectual superiority.]

      [In case you're wondering, speaking in third person is a symptom of the latest stages of smugness addiction.]

    3. Re:What is the problem? by 91degrees · · Score: 2

      If this is an area for study, could this treatment be part of a study and funded by a university or whoever funds studies into mental disorders?

    4. Re:What is the problem? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Given that it's a voluntary adult treatment program, I assume we'll see pretty strong self-selection from people who think that it is a problem, presumably because they find themselves putzing around on the internet compulsively to the exclusion of doing whatever it is that they need and/or think that they want to do.

      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.

    5. Re:What is the problem? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      That is probably what this program works to improve. Bringing balance back to their lives. Figuring out the other problems they have.

        Using the internet for 1-2 hours a day isn't a problem, using it for 12-16 hours a day, day after day is. I've been known to spend that much time on-line before and you have problems functioning in the real world. When are you going to shop, make money (if you need to), clean, exercise, cook, etc...

      And yes, TV is an easy thing to get addicted to as well as the Internet. It is why I still don't have cable TV. I could easily use the internet for 8 hours a day and watch 8 hours of TV.

    6. Re:What is the problem? by aardvarkjoe · · Score: 3, 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.

      --

      How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
    7. Re:What is the problem? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      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.

      No, that's not addiction. Addiction is when you ingest a substance into your body which causes you to develop a physical dependance. What you're referring to is called a "habit". In common usage, thanks to War on Drugs propaganda, the two terms are used interchangeably most of the time, but there's an important difference. With habits, you're not bound to a particular substance or activity- you can replace one activity with another. With addiction, you cannot- only that particular substance will fulfill the craving.

      What you have is a person who is not capable of dealing with real life, so they seek various activities as a means of escape. After a while, those activities become all-consuming, and cause problems. You can see this with many things- religion, reading, sports, watching TV, gambling, video games, board games/card games, art, music, science, etc.

    8. Re:What is the problem? by reub2000 · · Score: 1

      I'm sure a doctor can find something in the DSM-V that will stick.

    9. Re:What is the problem? by murdocj · · Score: 1

      "The problem" is when using the Internet starts interfering with the rest of your life. When you missing work and losing your girlfriend because you'd rather kill virtual dragons all day than participate in reality. It's one thing to be passionate about a hobby, it's another thing to be unable to disconnect from that hobby long enough to keep yourself alive.

    10. Re:What is the problem? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "If this is an area for study, could this treatment be part of a study and funded by a university or whoever funds studies into mental disorders?"

      And more pertinently, can it be done Online.

    11. Re:What is the problem? by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      You're either misinformed or just making stuff up.

      A habit is a behaviour or activity you engage in, but can exercise control over. An addiction is an activity over which you have lost control (IOW you can't stop yourself from doing it, even if you know full well that it will lead to an undesirable result).

      Ingestion of a substance can be either a habit or an addiction, but is not a distinguishing factor between the two--for example, heroin is known to be chemically addictive (i.e., physiologically addictive), but cannabis is generally held not to be (although cannabis can be and often proves to be psychologically addictive).

      This is why you'll find entries for both "chemical addiction" and "behavioural addiction" on Wikipedia, as well as other sources.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    12. Re:What is the problem? by sosume · · Score: 1

      Still just a symptom of another problem. Four decades ago, these people would have been watching TV all day and night and get into trouble because of that. In less developed parts of the world, where goods such as a house, electricity and a laptop, are harder to hold on to, these people would probably develop a into the religious zealot type. These persons just have less self control over their actions and then proceed to blame the symptoms for their own shortcomings. Like a fat person blaming McDonalds. Or a rapist blaming the pretty girls. You might even find this in the DSM under the label OCD.

    13. Re:What is the problem? by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1

      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 is real, and is generally diagnosed based on how it affects functioning. Does it interfere with work, family life, other obligations? It's not just what you do; it's how it affects your life. So you're right; they would probably choose something else were the Internet not available. That doesn't make the addiction any less real.

    14. Re:What is the problem? by murdocj · · Score: 1

      It may be a symptom of another problem, but that doesn't mean that treating the symptom won't help.

    15. Re:What is the problem? by aardvarkjoe · · Score: 1

      The portrayal of behavioral addiction as just being due to the addict being weak-willed has not been current for several decades. If you know any psychologists, I would suggest asking them about the subject -- it's quite interesting. There are methods of treating addiction, but telling them to just quit doing it is very rarely successful.

      Most addicts initially made poor choices to get themselves into the situation that they are in. But once they are, they need help to get back out. We don't deny people medical care if they injure themselves in pursuit of an extreme sport, for instance -- so why deny people medical help to recover from an addiction?

      --

      How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
    16. Re:What is the problem? by Seumas · · Score: 1

      It will eventually be a disorder. The DSM is clearly intended to eventually classify every human being as having a disorder. Preferably, one that requires oversight, medication, or both.

    17. Re:What is the problem? by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      No, that's not addiction. Addiction is when you ingest a substance into your body which causes you to develop a physical dependance. What you're referring to is called a "habit". In common usage, thanks to War on Drugs propaganda, the two terms are used interchangeably most of the time, but there's an important difference. With habits, you're not bound to a particular substance or activity- you can replace one activity with another. With addiction, you cannot- only that particular substance will fulfill the craving.

      What you have is a person who is not capable of dealing with real life, so they seek various activities as a means of escape. After a while, those activities become all-consuming, and cause problems. You can see this with many things- religion, reading, sports, watching TV, gambling, video games, board games/card games, art, music, science, etc.

      Addiction includes behavior - and recognized addictions include sex, and gambling.

      People don't get "addicted" to the internet by seeking an escape - even though escapism IS one of the reasons why people get addicted (this includes chemical addictions like drugs, tobacco and alcohol) as well as behavioral.

      In fact, addiction is usually classified by what happens when one removes oneself from the activity - typically signs of withdrawal appear, and this applies to both chemical and behavioral addictions.

      Some people are so addicted to smartphones that they cannot be without them for more than a couple of minutes - they get anxious, get the shakes, all the classic withdrawal symptoms. And it's one reason we've had Crackberry as a term. Likewise, for some, videogaming - we don't call it World of Warcrack for nothing, either.

      Now, perhaps smartphone addiction and videogaming addiction can be classified more generally as internet addiction. But it's hard to tell.

      Truth be told, ANYTHING can be done to excess, and typically when it is, the person is addicted to doing that. That's why we call the disease addiction. And besides commonality in withdrawal symptoms between various addictions, we also see commonality in brain patterns while the addict is consuming or performing the activity that they're addicted to.

      And yes, anything includes the internet.

    18. Re:What is the problem? by aokoye · · Score: 1

      Presumably people are paying for it out of pocket. It should also be noted that a lot of people in the US pay for mental health treatment out of pocket as it isn't uncommon for health insurance companies to say, cover 12 outpatient visits a year. Yes I realize that inpatient treatment is more expensive than outpatient, but if you figure that plenty of people are paying for 40+ outpatient mental health visits a year out of pocket it ends up being comparable.

  3. Missing an opportunity here... by Shoten · · Score: 3, Funny

    This looks to me like the perfect business opportunity. Inpatient care is terribly expensive, putting this out of the reach of people who can't afford it because they've lost their jobs due to their addiction and no longer have benefits. Why not offer it online?

    I can think of many therapeutic activities that would help towards curing the impulse to spend all of one's time online:

    -Troll debating
    -Handling requests from the clients of graphics artists and webmasters
    -Collecting free iPads, iPhones and other electronics from all those sites that just give them away for free
    -Resolving arguments in online gaming chat sessions

    I can think of many more as well...the options are nearly endless! And this could all be done from the comfort of their own home...

    --

    For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
    1. Re:Missing an opportunity here... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What are they missing? You said it yourself, inpatient care is expensive, and this treatment's out of reach of the poor. It's a classic example of a doctor choosing to specialise in diseases of the rich.

    2. Re:Missing an opportunity here... by Shoten · · Score: 1

      What are they missing? You said it yourself, inpatient care is expensive, and this treatment's out of reach of the poor. It's a classic example of a doctor choosing to specialise in diseases of the rich.

      Apparently, I forgot one more thing that the online patients could do in the course of their treatment:

      -Explain humor to ACs on Slashdot.

      --

      For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
  4. Is there a slashdot ward ? by Alain+Williams · · Score: 4, Funny

    Perhaps largely populated by First Posters ?

    1. Re: Is there a slashdot ward ? by Ed+The+Meek · · Score: 1

      Beat me to the punch. I like this place, but I notice a few users here every time I stop by. That's either one hell of a coincidence or those folks are here all the time.

    2. Re: Is there a slashdot ward ? by shuz · · Score: 1

      Those folks should recognize the problem as soon as their friends clue them into how oblivious they are regarding daily news when it isn't posted on slashdot. They may not, and that is where the slashdot addiction ward can help(sponsored by reddit).

      --
      There is or can be built a machine that can simulate any physical object. -Church-Turing principle
    3. Re:Is there a slashdot ward ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, it's right next door to The Three Stooges Ward.

  5. TV addiction? by KraxxxZ01 · · Score: 4, Informative

    How come there is no treatment for TV addiction? Is there a thing like TV addiction? Or feeding yourself 8 hours of programme a day is considered normal?
    Maybe there is but I'm not aware of it.

    1. Re:TV addiction? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      How come there is no treatment for TV addiction? ... Or feeding yourself 8 hours of programme a day is considered normal?

      From people I talk to, watching 3-4 hours a day is considered very normal. They eat dinner, load the dishwasher, then sit down and tune in until it's bed time. I don't understand where they get they get this time. It's not a matter, even, of if they are going to watch TV - they'll even watch it while complaining "there's not much on tonight that's very good".

      There are very good reasons for some people to enjoy the status quo of a "fat & happy" populous, but the medical community ought to recognize this kind of behavior as harmful.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    2. Re:TV addiction? by murdocj · · Score: 1

      Well, maybe people don't watch so much TV that it interferes with the rest of their lives?

  6. Addiction shmadiction? by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · 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.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
    1. Re:Addiction shmadiction? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      addicted to marijuana?

    2. Re: Addiction shmadiction? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I spend hours per day browsing internet. It seems like I am addicted to it. However when I travel overseas or do some hiking, I find absolutely zero withdrawal symptoms, even if I am offline for weeks at a time. The real addiction I have is not to the internet, but to brain stimulus. I hate boredom, and when I'm static, boredom sets in and makes me want to get online to get mentally stimulated. When I do some work around the house, talk to someone or travel, my brain is stimulated enough to not have a need for internet.

    3. Re: Addiction shmadiction? by xebecv · · Score: 1

      I spend hours per day browsing internet. It seems like I am addicted to it. However when I travel overseas or do some hiking, I find absolutely zero withdrawal symptoms, even if I am offline for weeks at a time. The real addiction I have is not to the internet, but to brain stimulus. I hate boredom, and when I'm static, boredom sets in and makes me want to get online to get mentally stimulated. When I do some work around the house, talk to someone or travel, my brain is stimulated enough to not have a need for internet.

    4. Re:Addiction shmadiction? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm rather internet addicted by their definition, and being without it for an extended period was instantly, wonderfully refreshing. It was absolutely nothing like the day or two of mild irritability that cessation of cannabis use can produce. In short, I think the company in OP simply found a way to take more money from people who have too much of it.

  7. We also need a "television addiction" program then by Anonymous Coward · · 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.

  8. Money Maker for the Hospital by Ed+The+Meek · · Score: 1

    Just don't expect insurance to cover your expenses. I love all these little "problems" the world invents - working so hard to absolve people of personal responsibility.

    1. Re:Money Maker for the Hospital by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2, Informative

      Just don't expect insurance to cover your expenses. I love all these little "problems" the world invents - working so hard to absolve people of personal responsibility.

      TFA specifically says that insurance doesn't cover the program.

      More generally, is 'I am having trouble solving a problem, therefore I will seek expert advice and/or assistance' not 'personal responsibility' all of a sudden? I thought that problem triage and allocation of problem-solving capacity was an essential and foundational aspect of 'personal responsibility', with the question of whether or not to bring in consultants determined by the problem to be solved and its difficulty with respect to what you can do yourself...

    2. Re:Money Maker for the Hospital by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      "therefore I will seek expert advice and/or assistance"

      Oh, my, no, not in the Puritan ethos. Matters of the mind are to be solved individually, and any admission of an inability to do so is a sign of weakness, and perhaps moral turpitude.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    3. Re:Money Maker for the Hospital by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      Ah, yes. Isn't it wonderful how neatly you can theology-launder old-school theories of concupiscence and failings of the soul by swapping in a few references to 'willpower'? I always forget how everyone has an immaterial 'will', that they are personally responsible for any defects of (how somebody with a defective will can will themselves to have a more willful will is always carefully elided; but apparently more willpower will do it...)

    4. Re: Money Maker for the Hospital by Ed+The+Meek · · Score: 1

      You c

    5. Re: Money Maker for the Hospital by Ed+The+Meek · · Score: 1

      Missing the point. Do we need to create a "chip-a-holic" inpatient treatment program for those folks who are unable to only eat one serving of chips (which is around 7)? Sure, personal responsibility and problem silv

    6. Re: Money Maker for the Hospital by Ed+The+Meek · · Score: 1

      ....solving goes with personal responsibility. Let's just stop with all these labels and quit coming up with "psychological" excuses for personal failings. Internet addiction? Why don't we simply call it all "self control" before we have chip addictions, toilet addictions, cologne addictions and video game addictions - all covered under ObamaCare....

  9. Re:Far More Interesting by flyneye · · Score: 3, Funny

    If this was interesting to you, you may be an internet addict. Please seek help at one of our fluffy facilities.
    Internet addiction is a real problem that can destroy lives and homes and make puppies cry.
    Eventually it can lead to hairy palms and blindness.
    Look for these warning signs;
                                    1. owning a smart phone.
                                    2. spending more than a few seconds considering a LOL Cats picture.
                                    3 spending more than 15 minutes a day emailing.
                                    4.Gaming
                                    And the biggest sign of all, bothering to have multiple social media accounts
    Please send money, only you can help, do it for the children.

    --
    *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
  10. Yes, but . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    if they haven't got WiFi, I am not going!

    1. Re:Yes, but . . . by PPH · · Score: 1

      Aversion therapy: Its AOL dial-up.

      Pretty soon they'll have you twitching every time you hear acoustic modems handshaking.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  11. Call me paranoic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Book reading - Fine
    Climbing mountains - Fine
    Watching TV - Fine
    Listening to radio - Fine
    Watching Fox and agreeing with the news - EVEN BETTER
    Internet where you can get crazy ideas about your government since there is less control- ADDICTION!

  12. coulda, woulda, shoulda by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    '[Internet addiction] is a problem in this country that can be more pervasive than alcoholism,'

    Yes it "can" be, anything "can" be.

    Is it?

    And if not, would you trust your mental health to someone prone to hyperbole?

  13. Meetings will be held online.... by ChronoFish · · Score: 2
  14. Can they cure the following too? by silviuc · · Score: 1

    Soccer addiction, basketball addiction, golf addiction, any_sport addiction along with other addictions such as gardening, collecting stamps, book reading and whatever other activities can be considered as being fun, entertaining and thus "extremely" addictive.

    This the good old panacea that people were selling in dark bottles in the old days. Here buddy drink this and you'll re-grow your hair and your dick will be hard as a rock! Honest!

  15. put them on a 14k dial-up modem connection by gsgriffin · · Score: 1

    that will cure them pretty quick.

    --
    jsut athnoer menagiensls ltitle psrhae for you to dcoede. Why do we wtsae our tmie dnoig tihs?
    1. Re:put them on a 14k dial-up modem connection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They'll just relaunch BBSes and door games. Legend of the Red Dragon anyone?

    2. Re: put them on a 14k dial-up modem connection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Probably ineffective:
      http://theoatmeal.com/comics/no_internet

  16. Already exists in the Netherlands by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Dutch have a hospital which is specialized in " cyberfrenia" for a while already: http://www.crisiscare.nl/internetverslaving.

  17. Better to take a placebo by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

    ". The program was organized by experts in the field and cognitive specialists with backgrounds in treating more familiar addictions like drug and alcohol abuse. "

    About 1 in 35 people who go through traditional addiction treatment centers remain abstinent for more than a year. With "experts" like that, who needs amateurs? BTW - What do they almost all try to drive home as the solution? "You've got to get yourself an imaginary friend!" (Of course they use the term "Higher Power", and don't have the audacity to call it what it is, especially since many of them have an imaginary friend themselves having traded one form of insanity for another themselves.)

    There are certainly approaches that can work, but it has been proved time and time again that the traditional approach does not.

    --
    Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
  18. My question is this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do they offer an online course?

  19. Re:We also need a "television addiction" program t by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    TV is approved content. Surely there's nothing wrong with consuming mass amounts of approved content.

  20. the walking text by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think the bigger problem is teaching people to pay attention to their surroundings outside when using their phones/tablets. I've on many occasions seen people almost walk into traffic without any realisation that they have stepped off onto the road.

  21. Damned If You Do Damned If You Don't by wrackspurt · · Score: 1
    If you don't have an internet profile especially a social network profile you're branded a sociopath loner. If your internet use is over some arbitrary limit you're an addict.

    "Addiction is the continued use of a psychoactive drug, or the repetition of a behavior despite adverse consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors.

    Definition of ADAPTATION 1 : the act or process of adapting : the state of being adapted 2 : adjustment to environmental conditions: as a : adjustment of a sense organ to the intensity or quality of stimulation b : modification of an organism or its parts that makes it more fit for existence under the conditions of its environment

    Merriam Webster

    I guess everyone is left looking for a Goldilock's Solution while trying not to get eaten by bears.

  22. sure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll go, as long as they have fast wi-fi and a decent internet cafe.

  23. But what is by kilodelta · · Score: 1

    A problematic application. I'd say Facebook is a big one. Biggest time suck out there.

  24. Futurama by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does this remind anyone of Bender "jacking"?

  25. Friends? by Ed+The+Meek · · Score: 1

    Are you suggesting that Slashdot readers actually have friends?

  26. Another Sloppy Journalism Article by DocJohn · · Score: 1

    Too bad the article is just plain sloppy journalism, written from the company's press release. The first inpatient Internet addiction treatment program opened up back in 2008:

    http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2009/09/08/treating-internet-addiction-is-new/

    And in 2009, another inpatient treatment center also claimed to be 'the first' inpatient treatment program... for a disorder that doesn't even officially exist!

    Ah, it's Fox News... Nevermind.

    --
    Psych Central
    http://psychcentral.com/

  27. No television addiction? I call BS. by bussdriver · · Score: 1

    Television addiction exists as much as internet addiction does and for a longer period of time. Television lowers your IQ and has more correlations to bad health but we don't dare call it an addiction.... that would upset too many people-- lets pick on the new less entrenched activities like video games and internet...

    I have no trouble with the unofficial stuff, that is just the beginning of the process to become official and is never a guarantee it completes the process. Even if it does, the procession is fuzzy and it could be unrecognized again later on.

    --
    Democracy Now! - uncensored, anti-establishment news
    1. Re:No television addiction? I call BS. by kilodelta · · Score: 1

      Yes indeed - I know that too. I tend to be selective on the video I watch and some percentage of the time the TV is off anyway. If it is on it's either just a background noise or I have my RasPi up on it.

  28. You yanks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You yanks really are pathetic.

  29. Re: Far More Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have you tried one of those explosive jack-in-the-box? They pretty much stop whatever you planned on doing next.

  30. People shouldnt waste their time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If anyone is going to waste it, it should be me.

  31. Best medicine is more bandwidth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As a former addict, best medicine for me was getting gigabit connectivity & maxing up hardware & software side of things for minimal latency, thus minimizing time spent waiting, complaining about bugs, crashes & etc... and surprise, surprise - my internet usage plummeted. ... says somebody answering to a slashdot post.

  32. No Problem At All by b4upoo · · Score: 1

    Take these inmates and make them smoke crack several times a day for two weeks. Upon release they will never spend a moment on their computers again. They will spend their lives rushing about seeking crack, getting high, coming down and then crashing until the cravings hit again. Compared to crack internet addiction is nothing at all. Crack can take care of numerous problems. Crack will get the wife and kids out of your life. Crack will get you out of your job permanently. Crack will take care of your car rather quickly. But don't worry crack rentals are available. Crack will also take care of your house as well. In many cases that 20K roach box you laughingly called a mobile home will be replaced by a stunning 40 million dollar prison where you will be fed, clothed and housed for free and every single decision will be made for you in every element of your life. Cell therapy is so very restful. What could be nicer?

  33. addiction vs habits by dingleberrie · · Score: 1

    Addiction is an interesting word because it can describe anything from a strong habit to a chemical imbalance.
    I don't know what this one is. Any tendencies I've experienced in the past were tilting toward really bad habits... even if it was spending long stretches of my spare time in lieu of food or sleep.

    I also read and want to believe that most habits can be broken or set in 21 days of doing a different pattern.
    It concerns me a little about the success of an inpatient program on something like this. So I wonder how many of these internet addictions can be solved by giving people something else to do to feel a sense of progress and accomplishment to develop better habits in their existing environment.

    Otherwise, when they go back to their old environment, they can easily fall into the same old pattern due to the same mental associations with that environment.