Therapeutic Interventions in the Treatment of Problematic Internet Use—Experiences from Germany

Abstract

In this chapter, the Internet usage behavior of the general population and the prevalence of problematic Internet use will be discussed and a variety of treatment options are introduced. Theoretically and practically, through use of a case study, the brief intervention, “Compass”, is described. The last section considers research on the efficacy of existing approaches to the treatment of problematic Internet use. To contextualize the prevalence of Internet use, the underlying concepts and the therapy, this chapter opens with a brief consideration of television and the debate about TV dependency, which took place during the 1990s.