Binge-watching on streaming platforms offers an escape from real life
Last week, the Service for Healthy Use of Technology (SHUT) clinic at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru received its first case of Netflix addiction: a 26-year-old unemployed man had turned to the streaming service to shut out reality for more than six months.
While entertainment has always had an element of escapism, streaming services that put up a show’s entire season for viewing on multiple devices, have increased viewers’ susceptibility to binge-watching. It’s increasingly common for people to spend seven hours at a stretch watching the entire season of their favourite sitcom or thriller. But what if you can’t stop?
‘Feel good’ activity
Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor of clinical psychology, NIMHANS, who heads the SHUT clinic, said the young man started spending more than seven hours a day binge-watching films and shows on Netflix as it helped him feel good. “Whenever his family pressured him to earn a living, or when he saw his friends doing well, he would watch the shows on offer continuously. He could forget about his problems,” said Dr. Sharma.
Doctors at the clinic are now addressing his psychological issues through therapy, prescribing relaxation exercises and guiding him in his career. While the young man’s case is the most extreme form at the clinic, Dr. Sharma said many of his patients being treated for online gaming addictions, are also escaping into streaming platforms. Worried counsellors in educational institutions have started conducting sessions for parents and students on early warning signs of addiction.
Source: First case of ‘Netflix addiction’ at NIMHANS
Last week, the Service for Healthy Use of Technology (SHUT) clinic at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru received its first case of Netflix addiction: a 26-year-old unemployed man had turned to the streaming service to shut out reality for more than six months.
While entertainment has always had an element of escapism, streaming services that put up a show’s entire season for viewing on multiple devices, have increased viewers’ susceptibility to binge-watching. It’s increasingly common for people to spend seven hours at a stretch watching the entire season of their favourite sitcom or thriller. But what if you can’t stop?
‘Feel good’ activity
Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor of clinical psychology, NIMHANS, who heads the SHUT clinic, said the young man started spending more than seven hours a day binge-watching films and shows on Netflix as it helped him feel good. “Whenever his family pressured him to earn a living, or when he saw his friends doing well, he would watch the shows on offer continuously. He could forget about his problems,” said Dr. Sharma.
Doctors at the clinic are now addressing his psychological issues through therapy, prescribing relaxation exercises and guiding him in his career. While the young man’s case is the most extreme form at the clinic, Dr. Sharma said many of his patients being treated for online gaming addictions, are also escaping into streaming platforms. Worried counsellors in educational institutions have started conducting sessions for parents and students on early warning signs of addiction.
Source: First case of ‘Netflix addiction’ at NIMHANS
