Treatment for video game addiction

Watch Video: Treatment for video game addiction by Rick Meeves, PhD, LMFT , ...
Treatment for video game addiction | Kids in the House
KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

Treatment for video game addiction

Comment
83
Like
83
Transcription: 
Treatment for video game and internet addiction can come in many different forms. First of all, there is a tapering process advocated by one professional out there. It's a really interesting process. It's really hard to structure. They may need some outside help in the form of a professional therapist. It's an interesting way to help taper back. The other methodology is to just go cold turkey. I actually prefer that method. This can be challenging, but parents can be creative. They can take a week away from school or some break where they can say, "We're getting out of the house. We're going somewhere." And give the adolescent a chance to break completely away clean. It's hard to have a discussion with anyone in any form of addiction. There is not a lot of appeal to their reasoning. They have just got to get their fix, so to take a break away from that and come back and have a discussion either from the parents or a professional, to say, "You have a problem. The problem is you are spending hours on end working with it." Confronting or approaching it that way is good because you are at the point when you take a break for a week or two, some of the brain functioning, the rational thinking, can return and then they can say, "Yeah, I do have a problem with it." Then structuring use after that, setting appropriate limits for not only the time span, but also the types of game they are playing, is really critical.

Watch Video: Treatment for video game addiction by Rick Meeves, PhD, LMFT , ...

Transcript

Expert Bio

More from Expert

Rick Meeves, PhD, LMFT

Clinical Director of CRC

Dr. Rick Meeves has spent the last 16 years working with adolescents and their families. He currently serves as the Director of Adolescent Clinical Services for CRC Health Group, the nation’s largest provider of addiction treatment and related behavioral health services.  Rick has helped families deal with the rapidly expanding access to video and electronic media. As a practitioner he has seen teens lock themselves in their rooms, playing video games for days on end. He has also seen teens who became addicted to online gambling. Rick has seen parents who have accepted this behavior as some acceptable alternative to staying out all night or using drugs or alcohol. He has helped families re-establish healthy patterns and use of electronic gaming and has established healthy patterns with his own boys.

More Parenting Videos from Rick Meeves, PhD, LMFT >
Enter your email to
download & subscribe
to our newsletter