Young Person Technology Addiction

Dr Richard Graham, lead Young Person’s Technology Addiction Consultant at Capio states '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'.

In response to this we have launched the first Young Person Technology Addiction Service.

The programmes 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. The underlying principles are to increase off-screen social activities, and strategies to deal with online problems, especially the different forms of cyber-bullying.

The three core elements to this service are:

1. Interpersonal Therapy: given the emphasis on Interpersonal Sensitivity, and how this relates to discomfort in face-to-face time with others, which may precede or follow Technology Addiction.

2.Tech. Hygiene: in which the user explores with others the meaning of their relationship to technology, whether a phone, a game or social media platform such as Facebook. This group is supported by other therapies including Sleep and Energy, Relaxation and CBT, and will work on managing the energy or level of arousal that follows prolonged gaming. The focus is on how to ‘Switch Off and Disconnect’.

3. Life Skills and Health: when there has been a prolonged period of Technology Addiction, the user is compromised both in terms of confidence in facing the demands of life in the external world, but also physically, following poor nutrition and reduced physical activity. The programme highlights how to look after the body and feel good within it. A focus on body image is a necessary part of this.

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