Is cognitive behavioral therapy an intervention for possible internet addiction disorder ?

Abstract EN

Internet addiction disorder (IAD) has been proposed to describe uncontrollable, damaging use of Internet technology leading to some changes in the autonomic nervous system.

IAD can be defined as an impulse-control disorder that does not involve an intoxicant.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) does not recognize it as a disease but the new approach of research domain criteria (RDoC) considers re-evaluating DSM because of the change in global prevalence of IAD from 0.3% to 38%.

Treatment of IAD is still unsolved due to the lack of concrete evidence, knowledge, and information about the disease.

Some therapeutic examples are medications and psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

The CBT approach addresses dysfunctional emotions, maladaptive behaviors and cognitive processes.

Modified CBT is used for the treatment of IAD but better results are observed when it is combined with other therapies.

This commentary is based on full research papers and some specific case reports recording CBT as the treatment for IAD.

PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink are the databases used for this commentary.

More exhaustive research is needed in this field as to confirm the etiology of IAD and its intervention with CBT.