Behavioral Addiction

When a person repeatedly engages in a behaviour despite harm caused by it, it is referred to as behavioural addictions or process addictions. These are non-substance addictions, but many alcoholics or drug addicts have a strong tendency to develop these addictions.

Behavioural addictions could include:

• Gambling addiction
• Internet addiction
• Gaming addiction
• Eating disorders (overeating, bulimia and anorexia nervosa)
• Shopping addiction
• Kleptomania (impulsive stealing)
• Sex/ Porn addiction
• Trichotillomania

Behavioural addictions have common traits:

• Preoccupation with the behaviour
• Inability to control the behaviour
• Increased tolerance to the behaviour – so the person indulges in more behaviour more often to achieve the desired gratification
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms (such as irritability and restlessness) if the behaviour is stopped
• Experiencing adverse psychological consequences, such as depression or anxiety symptoms, when the individual stops the behaviour for any reason.

Hope Trust offers a combination of psychiatric assessments for accurate diagnosis,psycho pharmacotherapy (medicines), psychological therapies such as CBT, motivational enhancement, 12 Steps and mindfulness, for addressing process addiction on an outpatient basis.