Online Obsession. Electronic addiction problem. Essay

Online Obsession
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The use of the internet and computer in contemporary society has significantly increased among young people. Adolescents use the internet for various reasons, which include shopping, watching videos, playing online games, and engaging with their friends. Little is, however, known about the internet addiction that people can develop after the continued use of the internet from a relatively long period. The addiction may be exhibited when people spend much of their time on the internet to the extent that it interferes with other daily activities. It has been determined that addicted people find the internet crucial and vital than other essential elements in their surroundings. For instance, addiction to social networking sites makes individuals value their online friends more than real-life relationships. This literature examines the case of a student with online gaming addiction and seeks to understand the progression of the addiction, the assessment that can be uses, the client’s medical background, and the most appropriate intervention and treatment plan that may help the client’s electronic addiction.
Electronic addiction problem
The student reports that he has been having problems controlling his desire to play online games. Being obsessed with computer game playing is a significant concern, particularly among young people. This is because they are likely to spend excessive amounts of time playing games, and they disregard other essential activities such as social engagement with their families. Online games become an addiction when people use more time playing at the expense of work (Watkins, 2020). The client has come to the counselor because he has noted that his performance in school has become poor. Besides, he has started neglecting other crucial hobbies such as swimming and playing football, which was his priority leisure activities before starting online gaming. Additionally, the client has also reported that he cannot control the amount of time he spends online and that he has also started developing symptoms of physical and psychological withdrawal where he wants to spend time alone playing the game and emotional outburst when the game is take taken away (Koc, 2011). Besides, the client is motivated to obtain help because he spends a lot of time playing games that it has become difficult for him to get enough sleep, which causes other issues such as lack of concentration, impairs alertness, and inability to reason correctly.
Online video game addiction problem
Online gaming addiction occurs when one has no control of his or her gaming behavior and when it becomes a priority over other daily activities. Although there are millions of people who play games, the World Health Organization estimates that about 3 to 4 percent of the people gave gaming addiction (Game Quitters, 2020). Ideally, the distinction between fun gaming and addiction can be identified by only evaluating how the player’s life is impacted. There are short and long-term risks that can be displayed by individuals who are addicted to online video games; these include playing longer and more frequently (Internet Matters, 2020). The client has also indicated that he prefers using all his free time playing online games and has disregarded other essential physical activities such as swimming. Additionally, long-term online gameplay can cause an individual to isolate from the surrounding people with the goal of creating more time to be spent playing games. In some situations, people also lie about the amount of time they spent playing online. Besides, addicted individuals tend to skip other activities they once enjoyed, and they tend to develop fatigue; this is because the players do not get enough sleep.
Progression of online game addiction
The progression of this addiction is a clear indication of how the condition can affect individuals. Ideally, the continuation of online gaming addiction has no timelines, and it can impact people differently. Also, the signs of addiction may take months in some patients and years in others. It is essential to note that while playing online games may be considered a leisure activity, continued playing can cause symptoms for addiction. These may include becoming anti-social, where the players tend to exclude themselves from other people and using their time playing the games (Xu, Yuan, Turel, 2012). It is crucial to understand that as people continue playing games online, their happiness becomes dependent on gaming and would, therefore, feel unhappy when they have not played.
There are several issues that were recorded, which made the client seek treatment suddenly. The student indicated that his performance in school had become worse; this was associated with spending more time playing online games and disregarding school assignments. Additionally, it was noted that the client had recently become violent, and this was linked to playing violent online games. Usually, exposure to violent games makes players develop aggressive behaviors and decreased empathy. In some situations, violent games can also facilitate criminal practices.
Assessment
The most appropriate assessment tool that may be used on the patient is the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). This tool provides a twenty-item scale, which makes it possible to determine the level of internet dependency (Černja, Vejmelka & Rajter, 2019). Additionally, the use of this tool would make it possible for the counselor to examine self-reported compulsive reliance on the internet. The 20-items provided by this tool help in identifying the characteristics and other behaviors that are linked to internet dependency. Besides, IAT’s items have a scale of 0-5, and the maximum score that can be recorded is 100 points. High ratings reflect the severity of the addiction. Scores between 31 and 49 who mild addiction, scores ranging from 50-79 show moderate dependence. Furthermore, scores between 80 and 100 indicate that the client is internet dependent and is fully addicted. The benefits that this assessment tool would provide include it would help in estimating and interpreting the overall addiction, and this would also help the counsellor to concentrate on key areas where the client has recorded high scores. Besides, the results obtained from this tool are reliable because they are self-reflected.
Medical background
It is essential for the counsellor to determine the biologic...