BENGALURU: A good cook, Abhishek often prepared a feast for his family and never missed a chance to indulge in a game of cricket with friends
in Jayanagar. But all that is in the past. Too often now, the techie is short on sleep, rarely interacts with family and even less with friends. Most of his time is spent on the internet, his new love.
Friends and family say the 25-year-old is a completely changed man after the work from home norms kicked in. He had gotten hooked to THERE platforms and binge watched movies and television serials, so much so that he has now landed in therapy to curb his addiction. He isn’t the only one. The work from home routine has led to a significant spike in cases of addiction to OTT platforms among professionals in Bengaluru.
SHUT (Service for Healthy Use of Technology) Clinic at Nimhans in Bengaluru, that handles cases related to technology addiction, confirmed a surge in young professionals seeking help from their specialists to kick the bingewatching habit.
“We are seeing a rise in the number of patients who are seeking help to get off TV shows on the internet in recent months,” said Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor of clinical psychology and coordinator of SHUT Clinic. “This phenomenon spiralled after the lockdowns were imposed
and work from home became the norm.”
Non-stop viewing a worry
Dr Sharma said continuously watching a show for more than 120 minutes is a concern, but most people do not realise it as they are engrossed in the show.
“Watching three or four episodes non-stop, without any physical activity or even getting off the chair, is a sign of over consumption that can lead to addiction,” Dr Sharma said. “Those affected are mostly young successful professionals, who during the lockdown and work from home seek pleasure in such TV shows.”
Specialists at SHUT were seeing only a handful such patients in pre-Covid times, but now see over 25 patients. Most are addicted to social media
and gaming, while 12 are into online TV shows.
Apart from OTT, addiction to pornography is also rising. George, a 26-year-old stock market specialist, recently reached out for help as he
couldn’t resist watching porn for four hours daily, while 21-year-old college pass out Mukesh required a minimum of 45 minutes of bondage porn daily. “Earlier we would see two cases in six months but now we have two or three such cases a month,” Dr Sharma said, attributing the addiction to a change in lifestyle due to the pandemic.
Symptoms and treatment
Most patients seeking therapy for excessive OTT shows and porn consumption complain of eye strain, sleeping trouble, reduced connection with
friends and family, and inability to kick the viewing habit despite several attempts.
“Our treatment involves a step-by-step process. Patients are first advised to take breaks after 30 or 40 minutes of the show and then gradually reduce their time spent on screens,” Dr Sharma said.
He and his team devise a sleep cycle, besides urging patients to engage in other physical activities to kill boredom and loneliness, which primarily drive them to internet shows and porn sites. Importantly, specialists at SHUT advise patients to ‘kick technology out of bed’ which means
keeping gadgets off the bed.
(Names of patients changed to protect identity)
in Jayanagar. But all that is in the past. Too often now, the techie is short on sleep, rarely interacts with family and even less with friends. Most of his time is spent on the internet, his new love.
Friends and family say the 25-year-old is a completely changed man after the work from home norms kicked in. He had gotten hooked to THERE platforms and binge watched movies and television serials, so much so that he has now landed in therapy to curb his addiction. He isn’t the only one. The work from home routine has led to a significant spike in cases of addiction to OTT platforms among professionals in Bengaluru.
SHUT (Service for Healthy Use of Technology) Clinic at Nimhans in Bengaluru, that handles cases related to technology addiction, confirmed a surge in young professionals seeking help from their specialists to kick the bingewatching habit.
“We are seeing a rise in the number of patients who are seeking help to get off TV shows on the internet in recent months,” said Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor of clinical psychology and coordinator of SHUT Clinic. “This phenomenon spiralled after the lockdowns were imposed
and work from home became the norm.”
Non-stop viewing a worry
Dr Sharma said continuously watching a show for more than 120 minutes is a concern, but most people do not realise it as they are engrossed in the show.
“Watching three or four episodes non-stop, without any physical activity or even getting off the chair, is a sign of over consumption that can lead to addiction,” Dr Sharma said. “Those affected are mostly young successful professionals, who during the lockdown and work from home seek pleasure in such TV shows.”
Specialists at SHUT were seeing only a handful such patients in pre-Covid times, but now see over 25 patients. Most are addicted to social media
and gaming, while 12 are into online TV shows.
Apart from OTT, addiction to pornography is also rising. George, a 26-year-old stock market specialist, recently reached out for help as he
couldn’t resist watching porn for four hours daily, while 21-year-old college pass out Mukesh required a minimum of 45 minutes of bondage porn daily. “Earlier we would see two cases in six months but now we have two or three such cases a month,” Dr Sharma said, attributing the addiction to a change in lifestyle due to the pandemic.
Symptoms and treatment
Most patients seeking therapy for excessive OTT shows and porn consumption complain of eye strain, sleeping trouble, reduced connection with
friends and family, and inability to kick the viewing habit despite several attempts.
“Our treatment involves a step-by-step process. Patients are first advised to take breaks after 30 or 40 minutes of the show and then gradually reduce their time spent on screens,” Dr Sharma said.
He and his team devise a sleep cycle, besides urging patients to engage in other physical activities to kill boredom and loneliness, which primarily drive them to internet shows and porn sites. Importantly, specialists at SHUT advise patients to ‘kick technology out of bed’ which means
keeping gadgets off the bed.
(Names of patients changed to protect identity)
.