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Should we try to treat Internet Addiction?

A British psychologist has questioned claims that medical treatmentcan be "very effective" for people who are addicted to the internet.

The claim was made by a neurologist at Gongju National Hospital DrLee Jae-won, who said it is useful in cases where the brain has ceasedfunctioning effectively.

The centre has begun offering brain scans in a bid to see how peoplecould recover from the disorder, which is a major issue in South Koreabut carries a certain level of stigma, reports BBC News.

Teenager Jong-soo is one of the first people to undergo the test byDr Lee, who said the results appeared to be similar to those who haveADHD or have other forms of addiction.

Jong-soo explained the "fun" of gaming online is what has led to him becoming addicted to spending time on the internet.

He said: "When I play, I get immersed so much that it's hard todistinguish the cyber world and the real world, sometimes it's just hardto adapt to the real world."

Dr Lee previously told AFP parents often have difficulty admitting their kids are addicted to the internet.  

Professor Mark Griffiths, a psychologist at Nottingham TrentUniversity and author of numerous studies of online addictions, said:“Dr Lee Jae-won’s claims that medical intervention is effective in thetreatment of internet addiction are somewhat premature given that thereis no detail of his methods and he hasn’t yet published his findings in apeer reviewed refereed journal.”

Along with some Australian colleagues at the University of Adelaide,Professor Griffiths has just published a systematic review of allpublished studies on the treatment of internet addiction. ProfessorGriffiths said: "Almost all peer reviewed studies we reviewedhighlighted several key limitations, including inconsistencies in thedefinition and diagnosis of internet addiction, a lack of randomisationand blinding techniques, a lack of adequate controls or other comparisongroups and insufficient information concerning recruitment dates,sample characteristics and treatment effect sizes."

Professor Griffiths also noted most "internet addictions" weren’treally people addicted to the internet, but were far more likely to bepeople who had addictions on the internet (such as online gaming,gambling and sex addictions) rather than addictions to the internetitself.

He added: "From a treatment perspective, it is better to treat thefocus of the addiction rather than the medium in which the behaviouroccurs."

Professor Griffiths and his colleagues have recently published areview of treatments for internet addiction. You can find it at:

King, D.L., Delfabbro, P.H., Griffiths, M.D. & Gradisar, M.(2011). Assessing clinical trials of Internet addiction treatment: Asystematic review and CONSORT evaluation. Clinical Psychology Review,doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2011.06.009 - http://ijjkk.com/science/article/pii/S0272735811001085

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