Treatment For Social Media Addiction
While it may not be recognized as an official, diagnosable condition, treatment for social media addiction is available, and may even be covered by some insurance providers.
What Are The Treatment Options For Social Media Addiction?
Treatment interventions for social media addiction include therapy options such as cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, group counseling sessions, and other holistic forms of treatment. These therapies can be done in an outpatient or inpatient setting, as well as online.
Therapy isn’t the only intervention that has been effective in helping those struggling with obsessive social media use. As our understanding of social media addiction has expanded, so too has our approach to treating it. New apps like Freedom and AppBlock can help lock specific apps on a person’s phone. Services like digital detox retreats offer a unique, tech-free way to reconnect with friends, family, and nature.
What Therapies Are Available For Social Media Addiction?
Treating social media addiction can be done in a similar way to common mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. For more mild to moderate cases, social media addiction is treatable with therapy and behavior modification. Unfortunately, due to its lack of status as a diagnosable condition within the DSM-5, many insurance companies do not offer reimbursement.
Typical therapy sessions for social media addiction, depending on the type of therapy being used, will focus on the underlying urges to overuse social media. A therapist can help you uncover why you feel the need to obsess over social media. If you’re using it to cope, your therapist can also help you find healthier outlets for coping and find new ways of handling stress. If you have unhealthy practices on social media, like obsessing over other people or celebrities, a therapist can help you set goals and build confidence towards a healthy relationship with social media.
Some of the most common approaches for mild to moderate social media addiction include cognitive behavioral addiction (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and forms of psychotherapy like group and family therapy.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT remains one of the most popular treatment methods. In this approach, the therapist and patient collaborate to challenge faulty beliefs, eliminate negative thoughts, and practice mindful responses. This process greatly improves your ability to resist the urge to use social media and move forward with healthy behaviors.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
DBT is similar to CBT but adds a focus on mindfulness. By staying aware of your surroundings and your thoughts and actions, you can better navigate triggers and challenges. DBT also incorporates a group therapy component and weekly phone sessions with the therapist, in addition to regular outpatient visits.
Group Therapy
Group therapy is a form of counseling that can use any of the mentioned therapy approaches. Led by psychologists, these sessions involve other teens or young adults facing similar challenges. Group therapy offers unique benefits that individual counseling may not, such as a rigid support network, validation from peers, and an opportunity to hear others talk about their problems.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing, often referred to as MI, is an evidence-based approach to behavior change. MI is a counseling method that helps individuals resolve ambivalence and insecurities to find the internal motivation needed to change their behavior. This approach is practical, empathetic, and short-term, recognizing the challenges involved in making life changes.
In a typical MI session, a motivational interviewer encourages patients to discuss their need for change and their personal reasons for wanting it. The interviewer’s role is to facilitate a conversation focused on change and commitment by actively listening and reflecting the client’s thoughts. This helps clients hear their own reasons and motivations, reinforcing their desire for change.
For cases of social media addiction present alongside other conditions like addiction, referred to as dual diagnosis, inpatient rehabs can be an effective way to deal with a wide array of symptoms, particularly those related to addiction and mental illness.
Social Media-Blocking Apps
Alongside therapy, your therapist might suggest using apps that help limit or block social media use altogether. While it may seem a little counterintuitive to use an app to block an app, many apps exist to help curb social media use in ways that don’t promote or trigger urges to scroll.
Social media-blocking apps come in a variety of forms. Many offer free services that can be effective for those looking to block applications from being used; however, many free services only allow for a certain number of apps to be blocked or limit the time you can use their free services.
Other apps offer paid subscription services that range from $5 a month to $50 for a year. Some of the most popular, and highest reviewed, social media apps include the following.
AppBlock
AppBlock is an Android/iOS app that temporarily blocks distracting applications on your phone, allowing you to focus on what needs your attention. While it doesn’t track usage, it lets you schedule specific times to lock yourself out of certain apps, helping to prevent distractions before they occur.
There is an optional “strict” mode that can be especially useful for parents, as it locks the user out of changing the rules. AppBlock offers users a free and premium version, with the premium version removing ads and offering extra features. Currently, a premium AppBlock subscription costs $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year.
Flipd
Flipd is another IOS/Android app that allows users to lock certain apps on your phone for a set period of time. Where Flipd differs from most other apps on the market is its inability to be bypassed. Once a user sets an app as “locked,” there’s no way to override it.
Flipd also offers other features to help you focus, like ambient sounds and lo-fi music streaming. Like AppBlock, Flipd offers both a free and paid version, with the paid version unlocking features and removing ads. A premium subscription runs for $5.99/month or $42.99/year.
Freedom
Freedom is one of the more versatile apps available, as it can be implemented not just on your phone, but your tablets and computers as well. Freedom lets you block distracting websites, apps, and even emails. This level of blocking can be especially beneficial for those looking to find new ways to cope or spend their downtime rather than scrolling other apps or mobile games.
Currently, Freedom is offered on a free trial basis, and costs $3.50 a month after it runs out.
Digital Detox Retreats
A rather new trend in the age of social media and subsequent rise of social media addiction are digital detox retreats. Digital detox retreats are exactly what they sound like: a retreat where phones and other electronics are prohibited. These retreats offer a chance to disconnect from the digital world and refresh both your mind and body.
Digital detox retreats are offered across the country, and offer a wide range of activities, amenities, services, and resources. Some retreats focus more on your connection with nature, and involve activities like rock climbing, hiking, or kayaking. Others focus more on your connection with friends and family, and are structured more like a family therapy session. These retreats often utilize relationship-strengthening activities or exercises, like scavenger hunts, ropes courses, or family competitions, all of which promote problem solving, teamwork, and other family-strengthening qualities.
The cost of a digital detox retreat varies depending on location, duration, amenities, and the organizer’s reputation. Prices can range from a few hundred dollars for basic retreats to several thousand dollars for luxurious or specialized options in exotic locations. Researching specific retreats will give a clearer idea of the costs. Typically, most digital detox retreats last anywhere between 3-30 days, with the average being 3-5.
Can You Go To Rehab For Social Media Addiction?
For most cases of social media addiction, inpatient rehab is typically not recommended. If your social media addiction has progressed to a point where it is affecting your sleep, appetite, work, personal life, and health, your primary care doctor or healthcare provider will almost always have you start with therapy of some sort.
However, if your social media addiction has progressed and started to interfere with your daily life, and other significant mental health concerns like addiction or mental illness are present, varying levels of inpatient or outpatient options exist to help you put down the phone and pick up healthier habits.
How Will I Pay For Treatment?
The cost of treatment depends on which method you choose and your insurance coverage.
The DSM-5 does not explicitly recognize social media addiction as a diagnosable condition; however, it does recognize impulse control disorder, under which internet addiction is often filed. Some insurance companies will cover this treatment, which is why it’s always important to check with your insurance provider. Self-pay is almost always an option should your insurance not cover the cost.
Most therapy sessions for behavioral health conditions like social media addiction can be relatively affordable out-of-pocket. Costs for individual therapy sessions can vary based on the therapist’s credentials, location, and session duration. On average, prices range from $75 to $200 per session.
Get Help For Social Media Addiction
If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction to social media, don’t let the stigma of addiction hold you back from getting the help you need. Since social media addiction is yet to be officially recognized as a diagnosable condition, many people may feel that their addiction isn’t “real,” or that they don’t have a condition that is “worthy” of treatment. These false notions can not only harm the mental health of those with an addiction to social media, but it can keep them from getting the help they deserve.
If you are considering treatment options for social media addiction, don’t wait. Discover online therapy options for social media addiction today.