Abstract
Aims To investigate the beliefs and attitudes of Swiss general psychiatrists toward Internet addiction. Methods Ninety-fourth Swiss psychiatrists filled out a questionnaire at a conference of general psychiatry assessing their views on the concept of Internet addiction, their evaluation methods and treatment procedures they use. Results A cluster analysis revealed three groups: DISBELIEVERS (N = 20) rejected the concept of Internet addiction and its importance, not considering it a real clinical problem and consequently not considering the existence of a specific treatment. The NOSOLOGY BELIEVERS (N = 66) and NOSOLOGY/TREATMENT BELIEVERS (N = 8) assumed that Internet addiction is a real problem. While NOSOLOGY/TREATMENT BELIEVERS asserted the availability of effective treatment (mainly psychological), NOSOLOGY BELIEVERS were less affirmative regarding treatment. Conclusion Thought the concept of Internet addiction is largely acknowledged as a clinical reality by Swiss psychiatrists, routine screening and treatment remain uncommon, mainly due to the belief that efficient treatment is still lacking.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to warmly thank Rudi Stohler, Michael Soyka, Bruno Schwartz, Ioana Dougoud, Cyril Nicole, Bettina Wolf, Daniel Antonioli, Martin Minder, Hans Kurt, Tarek Bdeir Ibanez, Werner Saameli, Eric Jeunet, Esther Hindermann, Hlubek Welf, Daniela Maroni, Harald Gregor, Caroline Buri, Bernadette Stucki, Ulrich Müller-Knapp, Monika Räth, Kostandina Proin, and Giovanni Zampato for their participation in this study.
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Thorens, G., Khazaal, Y., Billieux, J. et al. Swiss Psychiatrists’ Beliefs and Attitudes About Internet Addiction. Psychiatr Q 80, 117–123 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-009-9098-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-009-9098-2