This book presents a new, evidence-based cognitive behavioral intervention for the prevention and treatment of Internet addiction in adolescents. It provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research regarding phenomenology, diagnostics, epidemiology, etiology, and treatment and prevention of Internet addiction as a new behavioral addiction. The book is divided into two sections. The first part of the book explores various bio-psycho-social factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of symptoms in young individuals. Chapters in the second part of the book discuss the PROTECT intervention to reduce Internet addiction in adolescents. PROTECT aims to modify risk factors and maintenance factors, specifically, boredom and motivational problems, procrastination and performance anxiety, social anxiety and maladaptive emotion regulation. The PROTECT intervention is a low-intensity approach which uses comprehensive case examples in order to increase cognitive dissonance and treatment motivation. In addition, PROTECT contains cognitive behavioral intervention techniques such as psychoeducation, behavior activation, cognitive restructuring, problem solving and emotion regulation. Topics featured in this book include: Adolescence and development-specific features of Internet addiction. An overview of modifiable risk factors and maintenance factors of Internet addiction. Environmental factors that affect the development of Internet addiction. Online and offline video gaming addiction. Social network addiction. Strategies that work in prevention and treatment. Internet Addiction in Adolescents is a must-have resource for researchers, professors, clinicians and related professionals as well as graduate students in clinical child, school, and developmental psychology, educational policy and politics, and social work as well as related disciplines.

This is the first book to thoroughly examine how early and easy access to the Internet and digital technologies impacts children and adolescents. Experts in the field examine the research that shows the social, cognitive, developmental, and academic problems that can result when children spend excessive time in front of screens. As a whole. the book provides an invaluable resource for those who need to assess, treat, and prevent Internet addiction in children and adolescents. Internet Addiction in Children and Adolescents: Provides tools that help predict a child’s level of risk for media-related problems. Examines how to diagnose and differentiate Internet addiction from other psychiatric conditions. Explores evidenced-based treatment approaches and how to distinguish pathology from normal development. Shows how to create inpatient treatment programs and therapies to address media addiction. Highlights the psychological, social, and family conditions for those most at risk. Evaluates the effects of the excessive use of electronic games and the Internet on brain development. Explores the physical risks that result from excessive media use and strategies for combating the problem. Examines school-based initiatives that employ policies and procedures designed to increase awareness of excessive media use and help educators identify students who misuse technology, and strategies of intervention and communication with parents. Identifies signs of problem Internet behavior such as aggressive behavior, lying about screen use, and a preference for screen time over social interactions. Outlines the risk factors for developing internet addiction. Provides strategies for treatment and prevention in family, school, and community settings. Practitioners and researchers in psychology, social work, school counseling, child and family therapy, and nursing will appreciate this book's thorough review if internet addiction among children and adolescents. The book also serves as an engaging supplement in courses on media psychology, addiction counseling, abnormal psychology, school counseling, social issues, and more.

The Internet has become an important channel for communication, source of information, education tool, entertainment hub and social network in the contemporary world. With the popular use of smart phones, people can connect to the internet at any place, at any time. However, easy accessibility, anonymity, rich entertainment programs, and information explosion in the internet also attract young people to an extent that may adversely affect their physical health, psychological well-being, family life and academic performance. Although there is no agreed upon definition and assessment of "internet addiction", there are research findings showing that problems or pathological use of the internet can lead to a wide range of personal, interpersonal, family and social problems. Hence, internet addiction is an emerging public health concern in different places in the world. Overall speaking, this is a valuable piece of work which is very useful to paediatricians, health professionals and researchers in the field of Internet addiction.

Addiction is a powerful and destructive condition impacting large portions of the population around the world. While typically associated with substances, such as drugs and alcohol, technology and internet addiction have become a concern in recent years as technology use has become ubiquitous. Psychological, Social, and Cultural Aspects of Internet Addiction is a critical scholarly resource that sheds light on the relationship between psycho-social variables and internet addiction. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as human-computer interaction, academic performance, and online behavior, this book is geared towards psychologists, counselors, graduate-level students, and researchers studying psychology and technology use.

Sponsored by the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative of the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania and the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands Trust, Treating and Preventing Adolescent Mental Health Disorders, Second Edition, provides a major update since the first edition in 2005. It addresses the current state of knowledge about the major mental health disorders that emerge during adolescence, including updated DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Here, six commissions established by the APPC and the Sunnylands Trust pool their expertise on adolescent anxiety, schizophrenia, substance use disorders, depression and bipolar disorders, eating disorders, and suicidal behavior in sections that thoroughly define each disorder, outline and assess available treatments, discuss prevention strategies, and suggest a research agenda based on what we know and don't yet know about these various conditions. Two additional behavioral disorders-gambling and internet addiction--are covered in this second edition. As a meaningful counterpoint to its primary focus on mental illness, the volume also incorporates the latest research from a seventh commission--on positive youth development--which addresses how we can fully prepare young people to be happy and successful throughout their lives. Concluding chapters discuss overarching issues regarding the behavioral and mental health of adolescents: overcoming the stigma of mental illness, the research, policy, and practice context for the delivery of evidence-based treatments, and the development of a more robust agenda to advance adolescent health. Integrating the work of eminent scholars in both psychology and psychiatry, this work will be an essential volume for academics and practicing clinicians and will serve as a wake-up call to mental health professionals and policy makers alike about the state of our nation's response to the needs of adolescents with mental disorders.

DSM-V broke new ground in May of 2013, designating a new disorder called "behavioral addiction." Clinicians immediately wanted to know: how is a behavioral addiction different from an impulse control disorder? What are the criteria for determining that some behaviors are addictions rather than impulses? What, if anything, does this mean in terms of effective treatment?Behavioral Addictions is the first and most authoritative text ever written on the subject of behavioral addictions. This comprehensive work explains the criteria used to determine addiction, the evidence for identifying assorted behaviors as addictions, and the evidence-based treatment for each.With contributions from preeminent experts covering an exhaustive list of behavioral addictions, this book is unique in its coverage of behavioral addictions, their criteria, and treatment. It is a valuable and timely resource for any clinician treating addictions. A guide to understanding the new DSM-V designation of behavioral addiction Defines the criteria for behavior to be considered an addiction designation Discusses the evidence for behaviors meeting addiction criteria Identifies what is now, likely will be, and is not a behavioral addiction per evidence Discusses behaviors formerly considered impulse control disorders Presents evidence-based treatment for each behavioral addiction

A form of 'electronic opium' is how some people have characterised young people’s internet use in China. The problem of 'internet addiction' (wangyin) is seen by some parents as so severe that they have sought psychiatric help for their children. This book, which is based on extensive original research, including discussions with psychiatrists, parents and 'internet-addicted' young people, explores the conflicting attitudes which this issue reveals. It contrasts the views of young people who see internet use, especially gaming, as a welcome escape from the dehumanising pressures of contemporary Chinese life, with the approach of those such as their parents, who medicalise internet overuse and insist that working hard for good school grades is the correct way to progress. The author shows that these contrasting attitudes lead to battles which are often fierce and violent, and argues that the greater problem may in fact lie with parents and other authority figures, who misguidedly apply high pressure to enforce young people to conform to the empty values of a modern, dehumanised consumer-oriented society.