The world of addictions has been studied for decades from psychology and health sciences in general, since it is a set of very harmful pathologies that can affect both psychologically and physically to levels where it becomes endangering the life of the affected person.
To this we must add that Addictive disorders do not always involve drug use and that there are behavioral addictions, which can be more complicated to identify as a health problem.
In this article we will see how the latter are treated in therapy; that is to say, how behavioral addictions are treated from different areas of intervention.
Behavioral addictions are those that are not based on the consumption of any chemical substance or drug, as happens in classic chemical addictions, but what generates addiction in the person is a specific behavior. More specifically, behavioral or behavioral addictions can be defined as an exacerbated dependence on a type of behavior that is rewarding and over which the person completely loses control and the ability to inhibit themselves.
There are many types of behavioral addictions, but in order to be considered as such, it is essential that the person performs said behavior compulsively and repetitively to obtain instant pleasure.
This type of addictions have been conceived as an independent and own group, separated from classic chemical addictions as of 2013, which is why it is a relatively new typology of addictions.
However, most behavioral addictions have been studied by psychology and mental health professionals, which is why we know that they function in a very similar way to toxic addictions and that they have common characteristics.
Some of these phenomena shared between chemical and behavioral addictions are: the development of tolerance, withdrawal, neurological reward systems and response to treatment.
In this group we can highlight addiction to mobile phones or new technologies, addiction to video games, problem gambling or gambling addiction, addiction to shopping, sex, pornography and eating disorders.
Treatment of behavioral addictions
Although there is no single treatment to professionally treat this type of addiction, below we present the most common process followed to treat behavioral addictions.
1. Diagnosis
As with any mental health disorder, the first step in the treatment of behavioral addictions is to make an accurate diagnosis adapted to the reality of each client.
The diagnosis should always be made by a psychology or medical professional and it must be based on a diagnostic manual of proven scientific evidence, such as the DSM, and with therapists they must identify each of the symptoms presented by the client who comes to their consultation.
Once the type of addictive disorder that the person presents has been identified, it is also crucial to determine if the addiction presents comorbidity with other disorders, that is, if it co-occurs with other mental health disorders.
2. Interrupt the vicious cycle
The goal of this part of the treatment is that the person eliminates the routine of carrying out the specific behavior to which he or she is addicted to get out of that initial vicious circle.
It is a period of total abstinence towards the addictive behavior so that the person learns to control their impulses against said behavior and begins to separate themselves from the dependence, and then begins therapeutic intervention. This phase is analogous to the detoxification stage that occurs in substance addictions.
3. Dishabituation
In the dishabituation phase, it consists of a stabilization of the life plan that incorporates abstinence, making the person open to a new way of experiencing day-to-day life beyond focusing on not relapse; An action plan must be designed tailored to the person who is suffering, taking into account their characteristics (age, social or economic situation…), the type of addiction they suffer from and their particular needs.
Adapting the intervention to each patient means that The reality of the person and the social environment in which they live must be taken into account ; That is to say, in the case of addiction to video games or gambling, the performance of the behavior can be reduced to 0, but in the case of addiction to cell phones or sex, it is impossible to eliminate the behavior completely.
The objective of cessation is for the person to recognize, identify and combat those patterns that can reactivate addictive behavior and integrate useful coping strategies into their daily life that help them overcome their addiction and take control of the situation.
There are several methods of therapeutic intervention in disabusing behavioral addictions, which are usually applied in a joint and coordinated manner: On the one hand, cognitive-behavioral treatment, on the other, pharmacological treatment and also other methods such as motivational therapy or group therapy. .
4. Reintegration
Reintegration is the last phase of treatment for behavioral addictions, and its objective is that the person can rejoin social life with other people and recover their previous life.
This is achieved with the essential support of your closest family and social environment, as well as through close monitoring by the professionals who have directed the entire detoxification process to ensure that there are no relapses.
Modes of intervention
These are the main forms of intervention in the treatment of behavioral addictions.
1. Cognitive-behavioral treatment
Cognitive-behavioral treatment is one of the most used by psychology professionals today, since it is based on scientific evidence and offers proven positive results whenever it is applied.
This type of therapy is based on the identification of thought patterns, reasoning or ideas that push the person to carry out the addictive behavior and subsequently in the reconfiguration and replacement of these ideas with more adaptive ones that allow the person to function without compulsively carrying out their addiction.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy should be used to work on all those problems that the person may present, both in the social or relationship sphere, as well as at the level of self-esteem and also to treat all types of symptoms of anxiety, stress, obsessions or cases of depression.
2. Pharmacological treatment
The pharmacological treatment can be done jointly with the psychotherapeutic, and consists of the administration of drugs that can help the person deal with the anxiety unleashed by withdrawal. Although they are more used in the case of drug addiction due to the changes that the latter generate in the brain, these medications are also a useful resource here.
3. Other methods
Other widely used methods that can be applied in conjunction with the previous ones are motivational therapy, group therapy, and family or marital therapy.
Motivational therapy is based on equipping the person with strategies and knowledge of all kinds that enhance the person’s motivation with the aim of achieving dishabituation of the behavior, taking control of their impulses and complying with the treatment within the time frame. established.
On the other hand, family or marital therapy or group therapy can also be applied, methodologies based on the external support that the person receives from their loved ones or other people who may be going through the same addiction.
