A young man was recently admitted to an Indian mental health clinic after having adopted a consuming and consequential dependance on popular streaming service, Netflix.
The unidentified 26-year old proved to be a unique and previously untreated case at the clinic. He will be treated by Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, a professor at the National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences in Bengaluru. The man was reportedly consuming 7 hours of Netflix on a daily basis, causing him to suffer from “physical, social and occupational consequences.” Dr. Sharma explained his condition to ABC News saying, “It was helping him to relax and overcome environmental distress." He went on to share that the man's frequent and long Netflix sessions, “led to [a] preoccupation with show series, loss of control and psychological withdrawal in [the] form of irritation, if [he was] not allowed to watch.”
Reports claim that treatment for the condition will include “a combination of relaxation exercises, career guidance and psychological intervention to help him overcome the debilitating condition.”
Naturally, many have wondered how to identify such addictions. The CEO and founder of the UK Addiction Treatment, Eytan Alexander, told ABC News that one only has reason to worry when watching Netflix comes in the way of your day to day routine. "With Netflix, just because you go and watch a series from start to finish in one evening, does that mean you’re an addict? No," he explained. "But if you miss work, or you are isolating yourself from your family because you’re compelled to watch Netflix, then maybe you’ve got to ask yourself some questions."