A 26-year-old man from Gurgaon has been diagnosed with an "addiction of online binge watching".
The consulting psychiatrist said the man thought his symptoms were related to stress at his workplace and "interpersonal issues" but his underlying problem was completely different.
"He wanted to watch entire documentaries online in one go, during normal sleep hours. A single documentary is two-three hours long. For two years, he kept binge-watching shows, which led to sleep deprivation. He didn't realise that this addiction resulted in him suffering from critical symptoms of depression, mind absenteeism and anxiety. He thought it was due to work stress and interpersonal issues," Dr Manish Jain, consultant, department of psychiatry, BLK Super Specialty Hospital, was quoted by the Indian Express as saying.
He added: "Just like internet or mobile addiction, addiction caused by binge watching is still not defined in the clinical diagnostic manual. But it is a lifestyle related addiction, which, like in this case, can result in critical symptoms of depression and anxiety."
Dr Jain said the man came to him complaining he was not able to go to work.
"At first, he showed signs of severe anxiety. During consultation, he was also found to be suffering from stress. His mother said he spent a lot of time on the internet at odd hours. Due to inadequate sleep and binge watching, he was unable to wake up in the morning. He started experiencing anxiety and mind absenteeism and was unable to go to work," the doctor said.
Dr Jain added that the 26-year-old could not get rid of his habit despite a hectic schedule, which included travelling 60-80 km to work and a nine-hour work shift.
"Despite his hectic schedule, he could not let go off his habit. This was a clear sign that he was addicted to it. He never realised that sleep deprivation had resulted in anger outbursts, anxiety, mood swings and depression," he was quoted by the daily as saying.
Identifying the addiction is the key to the man's treatment. "In this case, it was binge watching. The man had become irritable and withdrawn and would not take part in family activities. His family, too, did not know this was a consequence of binge watching. He has now undergone psychotherapy for his addiction," Dr Jain said.
