Nimhans

Dr Manoj Sharma

Help is at hand to assist those whose use of technology has reached epidemic levelsWhile there are support groups for cancer patients and other such grave illnesses, the first-of-its-kind support group in the country for patients addicted to technology has been formed at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences ().Parents of children addicted to technology meet once in a month at Nimhans, an institute that addresses mental illnesses, to discuss the problems and issues pertaining to this. They aim at going into the society to help other parents of children who are dealing with similar problems. They meet on the last Saturday of every month between 3 and 4:30 pm and discuss problems that their children face and look for workable solutions.The objective of this group is to further awareness, assess the extent of addiction, get users to acknowledge the gravity of the situation, and offer advice to deal with the problem. They are helped in their endeavour by doctors who engage them in group learning and give them feedback.The de-addiction clinic was started in Nimhans in February last year to treat children and adolescents obsessed with technology. As many as 32 people in the age group of 15–20 years have been treated here since then.A parent of a 20-year-old son, who did not want to be named, is part of the support group whose child simply could not get off videogames. He got a scholarship to study computer science in the United States, but within a year’s time had to be brought back due to his obsessive playing of videogames.He said, “We are trying to build a support group as the people who matter are reluctant to recognise this as a disease in India. We need to make people understand that this is very common in the present generation. In our times, listening to radio or watching television too much was considered wrong, but today, indulgence in technology is an acceptable thing. We need to find a solution to this problem and figure out how to convert this addiction into something useful. Through social interaction and a well-connected group, caregivers who deal with this problem can be groomed to handle it better. I know of instances in the United States where many have come out of this situation only because of a strong support group in that country.”, associate professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS said, “It is a group of information technology users who find it difficult to control the period of usage, and their caregivers. Those hooked to technology of great proportions experience consequences of this in their academics, interpersonal relationship, and also lose interest in hobbies. They are often irritable and also suffer physical problems such as strain in the eyes, body pain and sleep disturbance due to excessive online activities.”Craving (continuous desire to engage in such behaviour)Control (not able to reduce it)Compulsion (to use information technology)Consequences (experience effects – physical and/or psychological)Steps to manage your technology addictionHelp yourself to see it as a problemSet yourself goals for use of technologyReplace your technology usage with healthy activitiesBuild your coping skills Join a support group (to consolidate the above mentioned steps)