South Korean Delegation Visits reSTART

A three-person delegation from South Korea visited reSTART on May 3, 2012. Several years ago Korea named Internet Addiction their #1 Public Health Threat and recognized the addiction as a legitimate mental health disorder. Grass-roots pressure from mothers, worried about what they were experiencing with their children, got the ball rolling and now South Korea is the world leader in taking a proactive approach to this global problem. What we learned from the delegates is that every Korean child, from 1st grade on, is assessed yearly for Internet Addiction (IAD). If they meet criteria, they are sent for treatment, either in-hospital (which is, apparently, paid for out of a fund created by gaming companies specifically for treatment) or to "family camp", where the whole family receives residential therapy and psychoeducation for 2 weeks, followed by out-patient treatment for 6 months.

The delegation came to reSTART to see how the first and only specialized residential treatment facility in the U.S. approached treatment for IAD.

Unlike South Korea and China, the US does not officially recognize Internet and video game addiction. Although the upcoming DSM-V will have a new category for non-substance addictions, this category will, for now, only contain gambling addiction. IAD will be mentioned as being under further investigation.

Despite this reluctance on the part of the DSM decision-makers, clinicians around the country are recognizing how addictive video games and the Internet can become.

As proof of this, since opening in 2009, reSTART has fielded nearly 3,000 calls from distressed families. There is a large gap, however, between such a call and a family effectively getting the help needed. This is where Educational Consultants have an important role to play. When these families are willing to engage the services of an ed consultant, there is a higher likelihood of such families getting the help they need as long as the ed consultant knows which programs take an effective approach to the problem.

reSTART is the world's first retreat program specializing in problematic internet, video game and technology use. They work with individuals, couples and families to promote a better understanding of problematic technology use; assist users in discovering the underlying issues (e.g., depression, anxiety, ADHD, learning differences, stress, family relationship issues, and addictions) that may be co-occurring with excessive use patterns; and work together to design an individualized plan to promote a healthy, balanced lifestyle.