A rehab facility on the Eastside is treating a relatively new problem – technology addiction.
The problem has been quickly growing since the 90s when reSTART began, founding member Hilarie Cash pointed out.
reSTART conducts multiple programs, including 12-step and extended care programs, to help people reconnected to their lives outside of the Internet.
“Our program is designed to address a wide variety of underlying issues which may contribute to excessive Internet use (e.g., family problems, divorce, childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc.) by connecting individuals with integrative community service providers knowledgeable in these areas during a stay at the center,” according to their mission.
After spending some time at their Bellevue campus, we asked Cash what five things people should know about tech addiction:
1. The World Health Organization is on track this year to name Gaming Disorder a legitimate disorder. The organization defines Gaming Disorder as: “as a pattern of gaming behavior (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”
2. Research results vary widely on the number of people who meet criteria for this disorder, from 1.5 percent to 13 percent of the general population. Results vary by country and assessment instrument used. Among young adults that number jumps up as high as 19 percent.
3. Neuroimaging studies show that someone who is hooked on gaming has almost identical activity going on in their brain as someone hooked on cocaine. Behavioral addictions (like gambling, gaming, etc.) are as real as chemical addictions, with many similar consequences. In the case of Internet addiction, those consequences are often failing grades or school refusal, depression and anxiety, conflict with parents, sleep deprivation, other health problems, and increasing isolation from family and peers.
4. Early introduction of screens to young children, too much and too soon, has been shown to have many negative consequences on child development (e.g. slower language acquisition, impaired social skill development). For support in figuring out how to parent wisely in the digital age, check out www.familiesmanagingmedia.com and www.zonein.ca.
5. If you’re concerned about your own or a love one’s Internet usage, take reSTART’s Brief Internet Game Screen quiz to evaluate areas of use.