Process addictions are becoming more and more common among all populations. This is especially true among teens. Many people are not familiar with the term process addiction, let alone the negative effects that process addictions can have.
Process addictions are much like substance addictions in that they involve compulsive behaviors that cannot be controlled. Yet, unlike taking a drink or a drug, a process addiction resembles something like logging onto a social media site and/or liking a photo. Again, these two examples embody the reason why process addictions are rising among teens.
What Exactly Is a Process Addiction?
When thinking of process addictions, it may help to understand that they are also categorized by some as “behavioral addictions.” An article, “Introduction to Behavioral Addictions,” in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, explains that “Several behaviors, besides psychoactive substance ingestion, produce short-term reward that may engender persistent behavior despite knowledge of adverse consequences, i.e., diminished control over the behavior.”
It is this lack of control that defines a process addiction. While this is certainly a generalization, ultimately, process addiction is the lack of control over anything that is not physically ingested. It generally excludes substance use disorders (SUDs) and eating disorders. All other compulsive behaviors tend to fit the process addiction category. However, it is important to note that there are currently some clearly defined common process addictions.
What Are the Types of Process Addictions?
Process addictions are not new to the mental health arena. Some of them have been classified as disordered for many years. These include gambling, sex, shopping, and exercise addictions. All of these are addictions that revolve around the inability to control behaviors.
However, the online era has changed the way those previous process addictions look. The internet has created several new categories of process addiction. Those struggling with gambling, sex, and shopping addictions can now engage in their addictions in isolation from their own homes. This situation can both expedite the severity of the addictions, as well as keep these struggles more hidden from loved ones who want to help.
You may have noticed that exercise addiction was not mentioned alongside the other three main process addictions. This is because exercise addiction isn’t physically performed online, obviously. However, it can be compulsively exploited by those “influencers” promoting it online. For this reason, exercise addiction can be categorized with the newer emerging online process addictions.
How Prominent Are Process Addictions Among Teens?
It should be noted that online-influenced process addictions can and do affect everyone. However, the sheer tech-savvy nature of teens makes them more prominent in that population. These process addictions include internet addiction, social media addiction, video gaming addiction, and online information addiction.
While may be easy to see the tech-commonalities of these process addictions, it is important to note that they all have unique characteristics. Internet addiction involves the inability to be without an online connection, even if there is no reason to have one. Video game addiction is relatively straightforward, but one shouldn’t minimize the damage a video game addiction can do. It can quite literally take up the entirety of an individual’s time, including the time needed for reasonably healthy sleep. The best way to think about online information disorder is to think of the phrase “doom scrolling.” This is when an individual cannot stay away from the 24-hour news cycle without feeling uncomfortable.
Now, this brings us to perhaps the most common process addiction among teens today, which is social media addiction. Due to the prominence of social media sites today, teens often feel like they cannot be away from their online profiles for any reasonable period of time. This adherence to their screens is driven by the fear that they will become disengaged. This is perhaps most prominently known as the “fear of missing out,” or FOMO. Unfortunately, this online FOMO is actually causing teens to miss out on their actual lives.
The Importance of Individualized Care at Clearview
When it comes to treating students with process addictions at Clearview Horizon Girls Academy, we begin by treating them in the same way we treat all other mental health issues. We do so on an individualized basis. Our staff gets to know each of our students on a personal level. This includes their backstories, current struggles, and future goals. Then we can best create a customized plan that can focus solely and wholly on their needs.
We do not view students by their diagnosis here at Clearview. We view them as their unique selves. Oftentimes, issues of mental health and/or addiction obscure that sense of self. It is our job to remove that obscuration by lighting their path toward the rediscovery of that self and toward a successful and fulfilled long-term recovery.
Not everyone is familiar with the term “process addiction.” However, it is very prominent in the adolescent population. This is why it is critical for parents and caretakers to be aware of what some of the process addictions are (internet addiction, video game addiction, social media addiction, etc.), and how they can be treated. If you feel like your daughter may be struggling with a process addiction or any other type of addiction, please know that you do not have to go through this alone. We can help get your whole family on a positive path of recovery. For more information on process addictions and how they can best be treated, call Clearview at 866-584-4788.
