RU2277899C2 - Method for treating and rehabilitation in patients with gambling game addiction - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medicine, psychiatry.

SUBSTANCE: in the course of 6-8 seances it is necessary to conduct psychotherapy according to counter-addictive stimulation technique. The innovation deals with searching and substituting gambling game to involve a patient into another game process at applying sport game -Peterbasket. One should affect biologically active points (BAP) of concha auriculae. The impact should be performed by applying 6-7 microneedles onto detected painful BAP for about 7-10 d. Then needles should be removed to be applied onto the points of another ear. As medicinal therapy one should prescribe low neuroleptics, tranquilizers and antidepressants. The innovation enables to prolong remission terms.

EFFECT: higher efficiency of therapy.

3 ex

Description

The present invention relates to psychotherapeutic methods of counterdictive stimulation (CAS) and can find its application both in any addiction, and, in particular, in the treatment and rehabilitation of individuals with psychological dependence on gambling.

The use of known treatment methods used in this method of exposure, aimed at recovery, does not always give the expected effect.

Currently, the combination of various methods of psychotherapy with physical and chemical influences is widely used in the treatment of alcohol and drug addiction [1, 2].

The disadvantages of these known methods of treating persons with a particular addiction are that they are ineffective.

A known method for the prevention of inhaled substance abuse, including the identification of risk groups, psychotherapy and the introduction of drugs [3].

Known methods of treatment of alcoholism, including psychosuggestive effects and the introduction of drugs [4, 5].

A known method of treating alcoholism, drug addiction, tobacco smoking, obesity, gambling and sexual inadequacy [6].

This method mainly uses a combination of clinical parameters with indirect suggestion and immersion of patients in a hypnotic state, followed by suggestion by demonstrating video images using the 25th frame technique.

Verbal information in the 25th frame was supplemented with visual images having the nature of a ban on a specific type of dependence.

The disadvantages of this method of treating various types of addiction include multiple (1-2 thousand) bombardment of the subconscious only with continuous visual images, which is akin to human zombies.

In addition, this method relates to passive methods of influencing the patient and - most importantly - completely eliminates the role of his personality in the healing process.

The closest way to treat and rehabilitate people with game addiction is a method in which psychotherapy is combined with exposure to biologically active points of the auricle and drug treatment [7].

It is used for any addiction. This method (in relation to gambling addiction) is based on an understanding of the phenomenon of painful addiction to the game as a pathological behavioral model of the addictive implementation of the principle of hedonism. In the process of the formation of gambling addiction, a gambling addict (more broadly, any dependent person), for a number of reasons, hypertrophies subjective significance, the role of pleasure from the game. In the future, for him, the game more and more becomes an end in itself, and not a way to get pleasure (playing for the sake of the game itself).

The disadvantage of this method is that treatment by conducting mainly pure psychotherapy, medication, and other physical influences, including physical exertion, does not give the expected results, because many patients are relatively unprepared for them.

The main task to which the invention is directed is to increase the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic treatment and increase the stability of remission and the duration of its duration.

To solve this problem, a method for the treatment and rehabilitation of people with game addiction is proposed, which, like the prototype, consists in combining psychotherapy with exposure to biologically active points of the auricle and drug treatment.

In contrast to the prototype, in the proposed method, psychotherapy is carried out for 6-8 sessions by the method of contraindictive stimulation (CAS), which includes searching for and replacing a gambling game with a patient by engaging in a game using a sports game with a ball - a piterbasket, and the effect on biologically the active points of the auricle are carried out by placing 6-7 microneedles on the identified painful biologically active points of the auricle for 7-10 days, followed by their removal and placing on the points of the other ear, and as dikamentoznogo treatment prescribed small antipsychotics, tranquilizers, anti-depressants.

The essence of the proposed method for the treatment and rehabilitation of people with a game addiction lies in the complete psychological reorientation of the patient’s personality with the displacement (and suppression) of the illusion-mythical, surrogate drives and desires (physical and mental components of addiction) from the field of his consciousness and subconscious and the replacement of pathological ritual, obsessive stereotypes, patterns of behavior, motor skills (behavioral, motor dependence on ritual chains) on new, healthy behavior algorithms. At the same time, an active search is underway for other sources of life's joys and pleasures.

The treatment carried out according to the proposed method, allows to achieve the suppression of pathological arousal in the psyche and brain by defocusing it.

It is based on the active stimulation by the psychotherapist of the patient to activity in the directions opposite to his addiction, the painful methods of mental functioning chosen by him, surrogate-addictive self-realization, self-expression that destroys him.

The proposed method is aimed at creating a system of contrasting substitution of the drug (game) for many other activities and pleasures (more precisely, activities that bring pleasure) with the defocusing (dispersal) of the field of consciousness on many external objects - sources of real, life-pleasing pleasures. This, on the one hand, eliminates addictive immersion in one activity (pleasure), on the other hand, it allows you to constantly consciously control your behavior and sources, and ways to get pleasure.

In addition, the implementation of rehabilitation by replacing a pathological gambling with another type of activity by engaging in a game process using a sports game with a ball, a piterbasket, can increase the stability of remission.

The proposed method for the treatment and rehabilitation of persons with game addiction is as follows.

The treatment and rehabilitation of people with game addiction is carried out in combination with psychotherapy with exposure to biologically active points of the auricle and drug treatment.

In this case, psychotherapy is carried out for 6-8 sessions according to the method of counter-dictative stimulation (CAS), which includes searching for and replacing a gambling game with a patient using a sports game with a ball - a piterbasket, and affecting the biologically active points of the auricle by placing 6-7 microneedles on the identified painful biologically active points of the auricle for 7-10 days, followed by their removal and placing on the points of the other ear, and as a medical treatment, prescribe s antipsychotics, tranquilizers, anti-depressants.

The method of contradictive stimulation (CAS) is implemented in a training simulation of game situations in order to restructure the personality, i.e. the formation of more real, healthy life motives, attitudes, values and goals when changing the whole way of life. The player gambles, and the therapist "plays" with him, playing model game situations with the patient.

Game addiction refers to informational, socio-psychological, i.e. non-chemical addictions. The leading component in the structure of gambling addiction is mental addiction.

However, the constant bombardment of the psyche by the game (stimulation from excitement, frequent fluctuations in mood from wins and losses) leads the player to such an excited psycho-emotional state, in which the body produces enormous quantities of its own internal drugs (endorphins), stress hormones, vitamins, enzymes, enzymes, the cardiovascular, respiratory and muscle systems work with great tension, which are quickly depleted, like the psyche. At the same time, foci of strong excitation are formed in the player’s brain according to the type of neurophysiological dominants, which is constantly fueled by new sessions of the game and new portions of internal doping, stimulants.

Therefore, the task of the first stages of treatment is to suppress these foci of game excitement by braking it. This is achieved, firstly, by sessions of psychotherapy, which is carried out for 6-8 sessions by the method of counter-dictative stimulation (CAS), which includes, together with the patient, searching for and replacing the gambling with the involvement in the game process using the sports game with the ball - Piterbasket.

Secondly, by affecting the biologically active points of the auricle by setting 6-7 microneedles on the revealed painful biologically active points of the auricle for 7-10 days, followed by their removal and placing on the points of the other ear.

As well as the appointment as a medical treatment of small antipsychotics, tranquilizers, antidepressants.

Microneedles are attached and fixed on the auricle at individually identified painful biologically active points. From 3 to 6 microneedles are placed on one ear for 7-10 days, after which microneedles are removed from this ear and placed on the other. There are at least three such sessions.

As a result, the two main actions of the method lead to inhibition of excited nerve cells forming the "pleasure center" [friendly work of a group of brain cells (neurons)].

But at all stages of treatment, the leading method remains psychotherapy.

In the process of psychotherapeutic treatment to change the internal state of the gambler, he is prescribed small antipsychotics, tranquilizers, antidepressants and creates a new system of values, put forward other goals, form a different attitude to himself, to others, to life. As a result, the lifestyle changes, a whole system of replacement with other ways of obtaining pleasure is developed. One of the common types of substitute activity in game addiction is another game activity, a gambling for money is replaced by another game (theater, sports).

Man again learns to enjoy the fullness of being.

Expressed degrees of addiction and psychological dependence are pathological processes, often they are difficult to convert, compulsively-compulsive (irresistible) in nature. It is very difficult for the player to deal with them (but in principle it is possible). Therefore, the CAS method includes a number of stages and is implemented in the process of both individual and group psychotherapy. The proposed CAS method ends with a game of rehabilitation of people with a game addiction to gambling.

The essence of the game rehabilitation method is simple and especially effective by the example of involving gambling, addicted players in the game sports process using a new sports game with the ball - the Piterbasket and its many varieties. The novelty of solutions is attracted by their obvious simplicity and comprehensibility.

Piterbasket is a team game reminiscent of modern basketball, but it involves three players from each team. They play on the site in the form of a circle marked by three concentric circles. In the center there is a rack; three standard transparent shields with rings installed in the form of an equilateral triangle are fixed on it. In enclosed spaces (for example, in sports halls), the fastening of panels to ceiling ceilings is carried out by a special device.

The essence of the game is that the players of two competing teams, dribbling the ball with their right and left hands alternately and giving passes to each other, strive to throw the ball into one of three baskets - metal rings with a net fixed on three shields at a certain height. At the same time, players must not make “runs” (that is, take more than two steps without dribbling the ball) and cannot take the ball with two hands more than two times in a row, and must not use harsh physical techniques (pushing, hitting the body and hands). However, when using the Piterbasket as a method of game rehabilitation, many rules simplify. For example, they are not punished for double driving or jogging. The rigor of refereeing is formed as you master the basic techniques of the game, which do not fundamentally differ from the rules of traditional modern basketball. Ultimately, as a result of game rehabilitation, the emergence of a new high-profile basketball player is possible. This confirms the importance of the Piterbasket in the development and improvement of domestic basketball.

Thus, the combination of the Piterbasket as a way of game rehabilitation in people with a game addiction with the psychotherapeutic method of contradictive stimulation makes it possible to expect not only recovery, but also the formation of a player devoted to basketball.

Pathological excitement is a concentric narrowing of the circle of interests around the subject of the game, usually around winning, that is, around money, although in the process of formation of dependence the motive shifts not to the goal (winning 0 - as normal, but by means, and the object of dependence becomes gameplay itself.

In the expanded stage of the disease, and the formation of pathological excitement marks it, the player is interested in those around and around only as a source of money for the game. The world around him ceases to exist. If it is impossible to realize the passion, the patient experiences a strong psychological withdrawal, “withdrawal”, reminiscent of a drug or alcohol. Often it is drugs and alcohol that muffle this drowning out, as a result of which a combined dependence (comorbidity) is formed, which inevitably leads the patient to social and then physical death.

Pathological excitement, drug addiction and alcoholism have a lot in common - they are related by addictive, or dependent, self-destructive behavior. With their roots they go to the brain, to the "pleasure centers", they also have a common cause: a lack of endorphins (internal, brain drugs), or hormones of happiness. Their clinical manifestations are very similar: pathological deceit, resourcefulness, decreased memory and intelligence, depression, which sometimes leads to suicide, loss of strength and various bodily ailments (often ambulance comes to the slot machine room because players forget about food, drink and fainting, bleeding from their nose).

With timely access to a doctor, 90 percent of patients completely get rid of the defect.

Pathological excitement is just as dangerous as more severe forms of addictive behavior. But! One “but” - it is treated more successfully, since the informational drug, slot machines or casinos are not directly included in the metabolism and do not cause direct physical dependence.

That is why any other entertaining (sports, theater) game has a complex effect on the restoration of previously lost qualities or abilities. High gaming activity is ensured by the personal interest of each participant. The non-forced nature of such an exercise strikingly distinguishes its effect from exercises performed without pleasure and desire.

At the same time, in necessary cases, it is possible to use the games to localize the effect chosen in strict accordance with the localization of injuries and the patient's real capabilities. Thus, games can be a means of general and local impact, the positive effect of using them in any case apriori is programmed. It is no coincidence that the use of the game method in the field of rehabilitation gives positive results in the treatment of various contingents of patients. However, the achievement of this effect is due to a number of significant circumstances. The first of them is the need for a combination of medical and pedagogical knowledge. Only in this case can one hope for an accurate selection of games or, more importantly, the creation of new game options that would best meet the chosen treatment strategy. The second circumstance is the ability to organize and play the game, achieving the planned result. Therefore, another indispensable condition of paramount importance will be the ability of the leader to charge the players with his enthusiasm and constantly maintain an atmosphere of joy in the game. It goes without saying that all these qualities may not appear suddenly and not on their own, but only as a result of special training. Therefore, as an urgent task of training specialists in rehabilitation, we can consider the task of developing and introducing into practice the medical and pedagogical universities various methods of game rehabilitation. The role of the game in the process of motor rehabilitation is especially great. The emotional form of fulfilling motor tasks inherent in any game turns out to be an exceptionally affordable way to restore motor activity. At the same time, the coordination mechanisms of the most familiar and natural movements — walking, running, jumping and throwing — are improved in the first place. Free choice and arbitrary regulation of actions allow you to accurately individualize the focus and effect of the proposed motor programs. This helps an exceptional variety of games, allowing you to use the entire arsenal of existing games - from the simplest mobile to the most complex. Especially wide are the possibilities of using the so-called sports games. However, in practice, these games are almost never used in the rehabilitation process, although their content, and most importantly, the nature of the competition, can be modified and regulated in a wide range.

Sports games, in particular the Piterbasket, through the stimulation and normalization of the motor sphere allow us to correct disturbed mental functions.

Specific examples.

Example 1. Patient S., 49 years old.

He has been playing in casinos since 1993 with a frequency of 3-4 times a month, losing up to $ 800 per game.

Before treatment, he underwent treatment for alcohol dependence and after 6 months began a course of treatment for gambling addiction.

At the doctor’s appointment after a psychotherapeutic intervention, it was found that the player chose to strengthen his labor activity as a substitute.

Diagnosis: gambling, alcohol and nicotine addiction, the transition from stage I to stage II of game addiction, moderate dependence.

I didn’t completely get rid of the player’s illusions, but the game process itself dominates the motivation, not the illusion.

After the 1st session of psychotherapy using the method of counterdictive stimulation, 3 sessions of setting 6-7 microneedles for the identified painful biologically active points of the auricle for 7-10 days were appointed, followed by their removal and placing on the other ear, and the search began for a replacement for other activities .

Due to the large amount of work, fatigue and sleep disturbance, it was recommended to increase physical activity and pay attention to the need to take a vacation (8 years was not on vacation). He began to actively engage in sports, in particular, he began to play a sports game with a ball, a Piterbasket.

After 6 sessions of psychotherapy and 3 sessions of placing microneedles on biologically active points of the ears, an improvement in the patient's condition was noted.

Long-term results to date - favorable, does not play in the casino.

Example 2. Patient K., 38 years old.

Experience in gaming addiction 3 years. It plays slot machines 2-3 times a month when there is money. The maximum duration of one game session is 8-10 hours in a row.

Diagnosis: gambling and tobacco addiction, I stage of gambling addiction, the severity of dependence - medium.

The maximum gain at a time in three years is 30,000 rubles, and the loss in one game is 10,000 rubles. He calculated that over the years of the game he lost two cars.

After the first session, sonapax was prescribed.

As a substitute for another type of activity, we decided to solve health problems (varicose veins of the lower extremities, was operated on during psychotherapeutic treatment), began to pay more attention to the education of a five-year-old daughter, and began to go fishing in the winter more often (a favorite sport).

In total, I received 5 sessions of staging microneedles on biologically active points of the auricles and 12 sessions of psychotherapy with a break of 1.5 years.

At control appearances for psychotherapy sessions, it was confirmed that he wasn’t playing machines, there was no desire to play.

Example 3. Patient B., 30 years old.

The experience of gaming addiction is 2 years, the maximum loss per game is 42,000 rubles, the maximum amount of debt is 250,000 rubles.

Before starting treatment, he played daily.

Diagnosis: gambling and tobacco dependence stage II, the average degree of gambling addiction.

From the first sessions of psychotherapy, drug therapy was connected: sonapax and amitriptyline.

A variety of sports were chosen as a substitute type of activity (he is a former double player of the Zenit team);

football with a friend, alpine skiing and a Piterbasket with the whole family.

During the treatment, the destroyed relations with his wife were completely restored, he returned to the family. Almost completely repaid all debt, received a promotion.

Currently does not play machines. The desire to play is completely denied.

An advantage of the proposed method for the treatment and rehabilitation of people with a game addiction is that it dynamically combines effective methods of influencing the psyche with the rational connection of a piterbasket with the goal of active existential stimulation and socialization through the awakening of creative activity. This opportunity is provided by a collective sports game, in particular, the Piterbasket and its variants. Through relationships in martial arts, the skills of social life are restored. The game sublimates the psychophysical experience and the feelings associated with it.

In the collective sports game interaction, with the correct social behavior, such an important category in the personality structure as responsibility is strengthened. Feelings of resentment, guilt and anger pass. The thirst for life is reborn! In a sports game through collective responsibility, before that, a gambling dependent player turns to personal responsibility for his fate.

INFORMATION SOURCES

1. Russian Federation, copyright certificate No. 1599020, IPC: A 61 K 31/445, 1990

2. Russian Federation, copyright certificate No. 1699467, IPC: A 61 K 33/06, 1991

3. Russian Federation, copyright certificate No. 1724247, IPC: A 61 K 33/26, 1992

4. Russian Federation Patent No. 2113241, IPC: A 61 M 21/00, A 61 K 35/78, 31/145, 1998

5. Russian Federation, application No. 96106434, IPC: A 61 K 31/00, 35/26, 1998

6. Russian Federation, patent No. 2226409, IPC: A 61 M 21/00, 2004

7. Akopov A.Yu. Treatment for gambling addiction. - In: The latest methods of treating alcoholism, drug addiction, tobacco smoking, gambling addiction. SPb., 2003, p. 14-16. - prototype.

Claims (1)

A method for the treatment and rehabilitation of people with a game addiction by combining psychotherapy with exposure to biologically active points of the auricle and drug treatment, characterized in that psychotherapy is carried out for 6-8 sessions using the method of counterdictive stimulation (CAS), which includes searching and replacing the game of chance with involvement in the gameplay using a sports game with a ball - a Piterbasket, and the impact on the biologically active points of the auricle is carried out by setting 6-7 microneedles for detected painful biologically active points of the auricle for 7-10 days, followed by their removal and placement on the points of the other ear, and small antipsychotics, tranquilizers, antidepressants are prescribed as a drug treatment.