Interent addiction taken seriously at University of Montreal

Science Daily reported on September 10, 2008 on a new institute at the University of Montreal which will be studying the epidemiology of addictions. One of their new interests is Internet Addiction. Here is a brief snippet from the article on Science Daily:

While compulsive gambling is only beginning to be addressed by mental health professionals, they must now face a new affliction: Internet addiction.

"The problem isn't widespread but we know of serious cases in which teenagers don't leave the house, don't have interpersonal relationships, and have been isolated in front of their computer screen for the past two or three years, and only speak in the language of the characters they play with in network video games," says Louise Nadeau, a professor at the Université de Montréal's Department of Psychology.

"In a few years we'll have couples in therapy because the Internet will have become their main occupation."

Nadeau is director of the new university institute on addiction. It was created last year by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. The mandate of the institute is to conduct epidemiological studies on addiction, evaluate the services available to patients, guarantee state-of-the-art practices, and document new forms of addiction.

There is no lack of data on compulsive gambling and alcoholism. But there is a vacuum when it comes to Internet addiction. "There is no reliable study or clinical data on the issue," says Nadeau. "We are starting from scratch."

Comments

[Suzanne]

Good evening,

Please I need help for my son who is totally addicted to internet gaming. He is now 21 years old and his whole life revolves around internet gaming.

He is able to find work but can never keep it as he spends his nights online playing and then can not get up to go to work. He has no real friends and no social life, he is very depressed all the time and has an attitude as if nothing mattered. I have tried everything to help him but find myself at the end of the road right now and I am out of ideas to help him. Do you have any suggestions for me or a place that I could refer him too to get the help he so needs?

I am afraid for him right now and he is wasting his life away.

A desperate mom...