CIU Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology draws attention to the subject of addiction

Speaking at the event organized by the Cyprus International University (CIU), Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, Dr. Umut Çıvgın stated that while people’s efforts have intensified to enjoy life more and be happier, during this process, behavioral addictions can be developed.

Stating that when looking at the results of this situation, it is observed that a number of structural and neuro-chemical systems in the brain are damaged, Çıvgın further advised that related to this, the occurrence of mental and physical symptoms and dysfunctions began in people.

Reminding that due to addictions, as social individuals, people’s relationships have deteriorated with society and those that they are close with, Dr. Çıvgın went on to state, “Personality traits such as depression, bipolar disorder, being antisocial etc. that have been observed to come together with addiction, can be viewed as a secondary diagnosis”.

Stating that childhood traumas, sudden life changes, or loss, are some of the psychological reasons that can lead to addiction, Çıvgın noted that within the social dimension, it is possible to mention the effects upon addiction of both media channels and friends.

Giving an example of addictive behaviors experienced especially during adolescence, Dr. Cıvgın elaborated, “If playing computer games relaxes us, we can play computer games to avoid thinking about things that troubles us. Therefore, we can understand from this that computer playing as the only source of relaxation becomes more frequent and can be generalized over time. This can develop the addiction process. Additionally possible to be developed within the same addiction pattern with similar processes are sports addiction, gambling, games of luck, sex, shopping etc.”

Stating that in the case of severe addiction patterns, it is expected for patients to be treated in hospital, Çıvgın stated that this treatment is carried out by a specialized physician, a specialist psychologist, and a social service specialist.

Drawing attention to the fact that within the process of treatment, the family plays an important role, Dr. Çıvgın noted that it is beneficial for informative meetings to be organized for the families in relation to the patients or client’s addiction process or structure.