Addiction to shopping, online games, pornography or videos – researchers estimate that five percent of the population in the UK struggled with behavioral addictions. People with low self-esteem are particularly susceptible to this. As a result, research is now increasingly concerned with diagnosis and therapy.
Carsten Schroeder: How many people are affected by such behavioral addictions, and in which population group are they particularly widespread?
Mira Fricke: Well, in general, researchers estimate that up to five percent of the population in the UK struggles with a behavioral addiction. Examples of such habits are shopping addiction, online games addiction, video game addiction or pornography addiction. And whether there is something like a social media addiction is currently also being discussed. Depending on the addiction, the group of those affected varies somewhat. For example, addiction to pornography mostly affects men, while addiction to shopping is more of a problem for women.
As far as age is concerned, it can be said that behavioral addictions are generally more common among young people than among the rest of the population. This is particularly evident in video game addiction, for example. This is more of a problem for younger people. Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t people in their 40s who have a video game addiction. That already exists. The same applies to addiction to video games and shopping, which also affects people beyond adolescence. That’s what Dr. Hans from Cambridge University, who researches, among other things, the frequency of behavioral addictions.
Reward System in the Brain Is Stimulated By Online Games
Carsten Schroeder: Apparently, there are more younger people who are affected. Do you know what else can be the factors that promote behavioral addiction?
Mira Fricke: First of all, you have to say that only certain behaviors have the potential for addiction. And primarily those behaviors that result in the sense of reward. It even shows up in the brain that this behavior stimulates the reward system. So people can find all these rewards: shopping, watching porn, and playing video games.
And now it seems that people who tend to have low self-esteem and who otherwise experience less of a sense of validation in their lives — for example, through their work or in a functioning relationship — these people are more likely to develop behavioral addictions. This was given to me by Dr. Kai Mueller’s reports. At the University Medical Center in Mainz, he is particularly concerned with the risk factors for online games addiction. Read More: detox in boston
Three Criteria for Addiction at Video Games
Carsten Schroeder: When does a particular behavior become an addiction? Many people like to play video games for a longer time and not all are automatically addicted.
Mira Fricke: Yes, that is correct. Scientists base addiction on three criteria. The first is loss of control: well, even though I know I should probably stop watching porn or playing videos, I just can’t do it. The second are negative consequences that I have due to my behavior: So maybe I have already received a warning at work because of my pornography addiction or I already have debts because of my shopping addiction and continue.
And the third thing is that my whole life is subordinate to addiction. So, my friends, my family, and work: Everything is less important – addictive behavior has absolute priority.
Therapy Must Be Individually Tailored
Carsten Schroeder: How can you help people with behavioral addictions? Is there a way out of addiction?
Mira Fricke: There is, but it’s important for those affected to recognize “Yes, I’m addicted and I want help”. However, this often only happens years later, when the problems caused by the addiction seem insurmountable. And then it’s all about looking: Why is someone addicted? Is it a negative self-image that can be worked on in therapy? Stress management is also often a part and additional behavioral therapy. But depending on the type of addiction, the therapy must also be individually adapted. Prof. Astrid Müller emphasized that to me. She has been treating those affected by shopping addiction at the Hannover Medical School for many years.
Matthew is a seasoned researcher and writer with over five years of experience creating engaging SEO content. He is passionate about exploring new ideas and sharing his knowledge through writing. Matthew has a keen eye for detail and takes pride in producing content that is not only informative but also visually appealing. He constantly expands his skill set and stays up-to-date with the latest SEO trends to ensure that his content always performs well in search rankings. Matthew can be found reading, surfing, or experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen when he’s not writing.