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DR HILARIE CASH
In 2009 Dr. Hilarie Cash co-founded reSTART Life, where she is Chief Clinical Officer. reSTART is a residential program (first in the US or Canada) designed explicitly for adults who are experiencing addiction to the Internet and video games, as well as other mental health problems. In addition, reSTART offers intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization services.
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She began her work in the emerging field of Internet addiction in the mid-90's. By 1999 she had co-founded an outpatient clinic called Internet/Computer Addiction Services (now closed) in Redmond, WA. In 2008, she co-authored the book Video Games and Your Kids: How Parents Stay in Control and in 2009, she co-founded reSTART Life. She has co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and a workbook published by the International Institute of Trauma and Addiction Professionals (Facing Internet Technology and Gaming Addiction). She has been training parents, therapists, researchers, and educators since the 1990’s. All these ongoing endeavors have brought her recognition as one of the nation's leading clinical experts in the growing field of Internet addiction and Gaming Disorder
Keynote Abstract
The Alarming Tide of Internet Addiction
Although Internet Addiction is not yet recognized by the World Health Organization, Gaming Disorder is. In this presentation I will explain how Gaming Disorder is defined in the ICD-11, and Internet Gaming Disorder is defined in the DSM-5-TR. At reSTART, a residential treatment program we started in the US in 2009, we have found that these diagnostic categories can be applied to other online behaviors, helping us to better understand our clients. We will look at some of the ways that gambling and video gaming are merging, and the sophisticated principles being applied by IT companies to “hook” the online audience. In order to appreciate how urgent the problem of Internet addiction is, I will discuss the common developmental impacts we see in children and young adults, encompassing their mental, physical, social, and academic/vocational health. I will explain the common co-occurring disorders that we find in the clients who come to reSTART and how we approach treatment. We will also look at how to address and, hopefully, prevent the problems through increasing the awareness of parents, educators, spiritual/community leaders, and legislators.