Teens have a tendency to get obsessed with the things that give them pleasure, whether that’s the Marvel Universe, the latest denim trend, or Taylor Swift. But when does an intense focus on a particular activity or interest become an addiction? With adolescents, there is often a fine line between single-minded passions and teen behavioral addictions, also known as process addictions.
What Is a Process Addiction or Behavioral Addiction?
The definition of process addiction is a compulsion to continually engage in an activity or behavior even though it creates significant negative consequences. Those consequences can include poor mental health, physical issues, problems with relationships, difficulty functioning in day-to-day life—or all of the above.
Teen behavioral addictions catalyze a temporary psychological reward. While engaged in the activity, the brain generates “feel-good” neurochemicals like dopamine that produce a temporary high. However, that high quickly dissipates when the behavior stops, leading to a craving for the next “hit.” As the behavior escalates, the negative effects on the person’s everyday life also multiply.
Process addictions follow the same pattern as addictions to substances or alcohol. In other words, the root causes, the thought process, the reward cycle, and the recovery journey are all very similar. As with substances, the person can develop a tolerance and require more of the behavior to satisfy their craving. Moreover, both types of addictions typically require treatment in order for the person to stop the behavior and recover from the underlying issues.
Common Behavioral Addictions in Adolescents
Over the past decade, internet addiction has become known as one of the most common behavioral addictions among teenagers. This category breaks down into a number of different internet behaviors. There are also other types of teen process addictions. Common process addiction examples include the following:
- Gaming disorder (video game addiction), recognized by the World Health Organization as a mental health condition
- Social media addiction
- Exercise addiction
- Food addiction
- Pornography addiction
- Shopping addiction
- Gambling addiction, the only behavioral addiction recognized as such by the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Gambling, gaming, and pornography addictions are more prevalent among males. Social media, shopping, and food addictions are more common in females.
10 Signs of Process Addictions in Teenagers
It’s important for parents to learn the warning signs of teen behavioral addictions. Recognizing the signs helps adolescents get treatment for process addictions as soon as possible. Parents can ask themselves the following questions about their teen’s potentially problematic behavior.
- How much time do they spend on the behavior in comparison to other activities?
- Is their performance in school, in extracurricular activities, and/or at a job suffering as a result of the time spent on this activity?
- Do they use the behavior as a way to cope with or avoid difficult emotions?
- Have you noticed that they spend most of their time either engaging in the behavior or thinking and talking about it?
- What impact does the behavior have on their relationships with friends and family members?
- Does the behavior have a negative effect on their mood and/or physical well-being?
- Might they be hiding from you the extent of their involvement in the behavior?
- Have they tried and failed to cut back on the time spent on this activity?
- Are you constantly telling them to stop the behavior or trying to set boundaries around it, without success?
- When they are unable to engage in the activity, do they experience symptoms of withdrawal, such as depression or irritability?
If parents answer yes to some or all of these questions, they should consider scheduling an assessment with a mental health professional. Simply forbidding the behavior or removing access is not enough. The underlying issues need to be addressed in order to create sustainable healing.
Causes of Teen Behavioral Addictions
Teen process addictions are typically a symptom of underlying mental health challenges. An adolescent who is struggling may use a pleasurable behavior as a way to numb or avoid the distress they are feeling. The behavior doesn’t start out as an addiction. But spending more and more time engaging in the activity can trigger an addictive cycle.
Some adolescents are more vulnerable than others to teen process addictions. Social, neurobiological, and psychological factors, as well as personality traits, can increase the likelihood of developing a behavioral addiction. In one study, researchers identified four traits that put teens at higher risk for addiction: hopelessness, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity, and sensation seeking. Research on problematic adolescent gambling shows that underlying motivations for the behavior include depressive symptomatology; anxiety; difficulty with self-regulation; academic, personal, and familial problems; mood disorders; high levels of risk taking; and poor coping skills.
The Brain and Addiction
It’s not a coincidence that teens and young adults are more likely than older people to develop addictions, including process addictions. (For example, rates of gambling addiction in teens are two to four times higher than in adults.) The adolescent brain is still in development. That means that the changes in neurochemicals produced by addictive behaviors have a more powerful impact. In addition, the parts of the brain that control emotional regulation and impulse control are still immature. Hence, teens have fewer healthy coping skills and less ability to control their dependence on unhealthy ones.
Moreover, process addictions can prime the brain for other types of addiction. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the brain of a person with gaming disorder, for example, reacts to gaming in the same way a person with a substance use disorder reacts to a drug. The behavior prompts a neurological response that creates feelings of pleasure and reward. This cycle has the potential to progress into addiction. Therefore, treatment for process addictions may be necessary.
Treatment at Newport Academy.
Newport Academy’s mental health treatment addresses trauma, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues that may cause problematic behaviors. Our process addiction treatment involves a combination of therapeutic modalities to support teens in processing trauma and developing a balanced relationship with technology. Through tailored treatment plans, teens address behavioral addictions and underlying trauma, PTSD, anxiety, or depression.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) help teens recognize how their thoughts impact their behavior. Thus, they’re more easily able to shift their thinking in order to change their behavior. Experiential therapies, such as martial arts, Adventure Therapy, yoga, meditation, and physical fitness activities, give teens positive coping methods. They can use these approaches in place of problematic behaviors. Creative arts therapies, such as art and music therapy, support teens to express themselves and focus on their interests and talents.
Contact us today to schedule an assessment. We can help you determine whether your teen is struggling with a process addiction catalyzed by an underlying mental health issue. Our Admissions counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help adolescents and families get started on the road to recovery.
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