Internet addiction a Canadian problem, too!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (PRWEB) February 7, 2001

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is exploring new training frontiers with a forthcoming workshop on Internet Addiction. According to the faculty, internet behaviour expert Richard Davis, people who are addicted to the Internet have difficulty cutting down on their Internet use, constantly think about the Internet when they are offline, spend less time with their family and friends, neglect work or school and exhibit several problematic behaviours that affect daily life functioning."

This issue is certain to grow as Internet use expands and this is a good opportunity to learn more about it," said Bernard Monette, Specialist with CAMHs Education and Training Services. This will provide an opportunity to begin the discussion about some of the negative consequences associated with using the Internet and to begin to assess the treatment needs for people who experience these difficulties," Monette said. The workshop, to take place on March 8, 2001, is part of CAMHs ongoing work to educate health professionals about mental health and addiction related conditions.

This one-day workshop -- the first of its kind in Canada -- designed to educate health care professionals to recognize, assess and treat Internet addiction. Davis is a Ph.D. candidate at York University and CEO of the online health company CanadaMD.com. He has found that many Canadian doctors, social workers, nurses and other allied professionals are not aware of the symptoms of Internet Addiction...Canadians are spending more and more time online, and in some cases their offline worlds are being negatively affected. Health professionals need to become aware of this problem and how they can help their clients manage it effectively."

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is the largest mental health and addiction facility in Canada and has been designated by the World Health Organization as a Centre of Excellence.
CanadaMD.com is an Internet healthcare company, based in Toronto, connecting Canadian
physicians and consumers to the entire healthcare industry.

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Contacts:

Anne Ptasznik,    Media Relations Coordinator
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
(416) 595-6015
E-Mail: Anne_Ptasznik@camh.net

Richard Davis, M.A., Ph.D. Cand.
CanadaMD.com
(416) 667-1585
E-Mail: davis@canadamd.com