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26 Year Old Was Diagnosed With 'Binge Watching Addiction'

A 26-year old marketing professional, came to a hospital and complained of "depression and anxiety." He has been diagnosed with an "addiction of online binge watching".He complained that he was unable to go to work.

26 Year Old Was Diagnosed With Binge Watching Addiction

Addiction of online binge watching

HIGHLIGHTS

  1. 26 Year old was diagnosed with an -addiction of online binge watching-
  2. He complained of depression and anxiety
  3. He wanted to watch entire documentaries online in one go
A 26-year old marketing professional, came to a hospital and complained of "depression and anxiety." He has been diagnosed with an "addiction of online binge watching". According to the consultant psychiatrist who looked into his case, the man, who works in Gurgaon, had linked his symptoms to stress at the workplace and "interpersonal issues". Dr Jain said that the man came in for a consultation, "At first, he showed signs of severe anxiety. During consultation, he was also found to be suffering from stress. His mother said he spent a lot of time on the internet at odd hours. Due to inadequate sleep and binge watching, he was unable to wake up in the morning. He started experiencing anxiety and mind absenteeism and was unable to go to work."

Dr Manish Jain, consultant, department of psychiatry, BLK Super Specialty Hospital "He wanted to watch entire documentaries online in one go, during normal sleep hours. A single documentary is two-three hours long. For two years, he kept binge-watching shows, which led to sleep deprivation. He didn't realize that this addiction resulted in him suffering from critical symptoms of depression, mind absenteeism and anxiety. He thought it was due to work stress and interpersonal issues."

The doctor found out that the patient used to watch documentaries and TV shows without any break, due to which he always used to be sleep deprived. 

"Just like internet or mobile addiction, addiction caused by binge watching is still not defined in the clinical diagnostic manual. But it is a lifestyle related addiction, which, like in this case, can result in critical symptoms of depression and anxiety," he said.

The man traveled 60-80 km to work and worked a nine-hour shift. "Despite his hectic schedule, he could not let go off his habit. This was a clear sign that he was addicted to it. He never realized that sleep deprivation had resulted in anger outbursts, anxiety, mood swings and depression," he said.

Dr Jain further added that correctly "identifying" technology-related addiction is the key to treatment: "In this case, it was binge watching. The man had become irritable and withdrawn and would not take part in family activities. His family, too, did not know this was a consequence of binge watching. He has now undergone psychotherapy for his addiction."
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