UK Facility Offers Technology Addiction Treatment

March 18, 2010 -

A UK treatment facility has introduced technology addiction to its repertoire, claiming that the service was added in response to increased calls from parents concerned about their children’s over use of games, the internet or cell phones.

London’s Capio Nightingale Hospital’s Young Person Technology Addiction Service features programs that “are individually tailored to the needs of the young person and vary from intensive in-patient care, through day care to group and individual therapy.” Treatment includes processes such as interpersonal therapy, exploring “the meaning” of a users dependence on technology, the promotion of life skills and improving health and diet.

The hospital’s Dr. Richard Graham on the new service:

Mental health services need to adapt quickly to the changing worlds that young people inhabit, and understand just how seriously their lives can be impaired by unregulated time online, on-screen or in-game.

The Young Person Technology Addiction Service is aimed at kids between the ages of 15-17, but the facility would treat children as young as 12, a spokesperson told the Times Online.

The facility claims to be first of its kind to offer such a treatment, but another center in England—the Broadway Lodge— also offers a service for game addiction.

The hospital declined to disclose the cost of the treatment program.

Two tests are available on the Capio Nightingale Hospital website to determine possible addictions to technology and alcohol (Ed. I scored 5 and 4 respectively).

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Comments

Re: UK Facility Offers Technology Addiction Treatment

Submitted by nefermore on Fri, 03/19/2010 - 14:29.

Its all about the agency adapting to a changing world so that said mental health services can remain valuable to the public. They might better serve though if what they offered was life balance with self discipline and limit setting just generally.

Social networking is a natural instinct of our species so anything that keeps people in that loop with be a natural addiction.

Re: UK Facility Offers Technology Addiction Treatment

Submitted by CyberSkull on Thu, 03/18/2010 - 13:53.

Here's your problem right here (emphasis mine):

Mental health services need to adapt quickly to the changing worlds that young people inhabit, and understand just how seriously their lives can be impaired by unregulated time online, on-screen or in-game.

Perhaps parents should learn how to set limits?

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Michael Chandra: By the way, I am not saying Andrew should stop talking about Wii-U. I find it quite nice. :)10/20/2014 - 8:53am

Michael Chandra: 'How dare he ignore my wishes and my advice! I am his boss! I could have ordered him but I should be able to say it's advice rather than ordering him directly!'10/20/2014 - 8:52am

Michael Chandra: If GP goes "EZK, do not talk about X publicly for a week, we're preparing a big article on it" and he still tweets about X, they'd have a legitimate reason to be pissed.10/20/2014 - 8:52am

Michael Chandra: If GP tells Andrew "we'd kinda prefer it if you stopped talking about Wii-U for 1 week" and he'd tweet about it anyway, firing him for it would be idiotic.10/20/2014 - 8:51am

Michael Chandra: Legal right, sure. But that doesn't make it any less pathetic of an excuse.10/20/2014 - 8:50am

ZippyDSMlee: You mean right to fire states.10/20/2014 - 8:50am

james_fudge: some states have "at will" employee laws10/20/2014 - 7:50am

quiknkold: It says in the article that being in florida, you can get fired regardless if its a fireable offence10/20/2014 - 7:19am

Michael Chandra: If your employee respectfully disagrees with your advice, that's not a fireable offense. If they ignore your order, THEN you have the right to be pissed.10/20/2014 - 6:49am

Michael Chandra: I... Don't get one thing. If you do not want your employee to do X, why do you tell them it's advice or a wish? Give them a damn order.10/20/2014 - 6:48am

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james_fudge: It should be noted that the author leaked the GJP group names online10/20/2014 - 6:03am

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