Hospital set to launch NHS-funded internet addiction centre to treat conditions like gaming disorder

A new NHS-funded internet addiction centre is set to open, tackling gaming disorders as well as other internet-based addictions.

The centre in west London will reportedly provide treatment, carry out research and give advice to families.

A spokesman for the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust said the centre is set to start in the next couple of weeks but did not confirm the numbers of patients who are being signed up for treatment.

The news comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) added ‘gaming disorder’ to a list of recognised mental health problems.

Psychiatrist and clinic founder Henrietta Bowden-Jones told The Guardian: “Gaming disorder is finally getting the attention it deserves. The distress and harm it can cause is extreme and I feel a moral duty on behalf of the NHS to provide the evidence-based treatment these young people and their families need.

“We are unlikely to witness an epidemic of young players with an addiction to gaming but for the ones who do struggle, the centre for internet disorders will be a life-changer.”

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Research carried out by Swansea University recently found that some people actually experience real, physical withdrawal symptoms when we’re not using the internet.

The research suggested that around 11% of people in Western countries are thought to suffer from some form of technology addiction.