To date, there has been no study of the efficacy of Internet Gaming Disorder treatment in Australia. We need financial support to pilot and evaluate this treatment, to uncover what works and what doesn't with an Australian adolescent population.
For further details of the pilot or questions re donating to support our trial, please contact CEO Melinda Lake.
Current research suggests 2% of the Australian population meets criteria for this disorder, which negatively impacts levels of anxiety & depression, disrupts sleep and leads to school discontinuation, unemployment and marriage breakdown (King & Delfabbro, 2019). This research also shows it is prevalent among adolescent men which is why we have chosen to target this group.
A 2017 Australian study showed that many health professionals are aware of Internet Gaming Disorder, but are unsure of how to treat it.
93% of Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists surveyed said they were familiar with the disorder, 35% had seen it in their practice, but only 16% felt confident to treat it (Dullur & Hay, 2017).
Therefore conducting and evaluating our treatment for IGD aims to benefit those that are suffering, their families, and the many health professionals eager to upskill in their treatment practices. We are in the early stages of tackling this problem, but getting treatment right for adolescents, will lessen the burden on Australia's health system in the future.