North America’s very first internet addiction rehab program opened in Pennsylvania earlier this month — and the program’s founder says there’s no shortage of users seeking help.
While some hail the program as a trailblazing service, others argue that the still-controversial diagnosis doesn’t belong in the same category as alcoholism and drug addiction.
To debate the division, we’ve convened a Q debate. Joining us today are:
- David Greenfield: a pioneer in the field of Internet addiction. He’s the founder of The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
- Allen Frances: is a former chairman of the task force for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which sets the standard for the psychiatric profession. He’s the author most recently of Saving Normal: An Insider’s Revolt Against Out-of-Control Psychiatric Diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma, and the Medicalization of Ordinary Life.
Do you see yourself as an internet addict, or know someone who might be? Or are you skeptical about the diagnosis, and/or concerned that everyday life is being pathologized?
(originally posted on CBCradio)
