Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Addresses the habits and thought patterns driving compulsive use.
Overcome Internet Addiction with Cutting-Edge, Evidence-Based Care
Healthy Minds India is a neuropsychiatry practice built on cutting-edge technology and evidence-based care: diagnoses are tested, not assumed, and treatment plans are backed by published evidence, not trend. Based in Patna and serving patients across India through telepsychiatry, the practice brings on-site neurodiagnostics, interventional treatments like rTMS and tDCS, and structured psychiatric care together under one clinician, Dr. Saurabh Kumar, an AIIMS-trained Consultant Neuropsychiatrist and serving Head of Psychiatry. Drawing on his experience as Senior Registrar at a WHO-affiliated National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre and 60+ peer-reviewed publications cited over 600 times, Dr. Kumar treats internet, gaming, and social media addiction with the same rigour usually reserved for treatment-resistant conditions - available in person in Patna or through telepsychiatry in India from anywhere in the country.
Internet addiction, or problematic internet use, is a pattern of compulsive online behaviour - social media, gaming, browsing, or streaming - that interferes with work, sleep, relationships, or mental health. It is defined not by hours spent online but by the loss of control over that time and the distress caused when access is restricted.
Left unaddressed, the pattern tends to develop gradually rather than suddenly. Sleep shifts later, academic or work output slips, and time with family or friends is quietly replaced. Families often notice these downstream effects - falling grades, a shorter temper, withdrawal from conversation - well before anyone in the household names it as an internet use problem. Recognising the pattern early is what makes evaluation more straightforward and treatment shorter.
Internet addiction rarely has one cause. It commonly overlaps with:
Treatment addresses what the behaviour is compensating for - not just the screen time itself - so change holds over time. A student avoiding an overwhelming syllabus, a professional escaping a stressful job, and a lonely teenager seeking connection online can all present with the same surface behaviour but need different underlying treatment. This is why the evaluation looks beyond screen time alone before any plan is proposed.
An evaluation is worth booking when several signs persist for weeks rather than days, when self-directed attempts to cut back have repeatedly failed, or when screen use is visibly affecting sleep, grades, work performance, or relationships. Early evaluation prevents the pattern from becoming further entrenched - waiting rarely resolves it on its own, and most families who delay report wishing they had booked the first assessment sooner.
Diagnosis begins with a full psychiatric evaluation - history, triggers, sleep, work, and relationships - rather than a one-size-fits-all checklist. Underlying anxiety or depression is assessed and treated alongside the internet addiction, not as an afterthought, since treating one without the other rarely produces lasting change.
Once the evaluation is complete, the treatment plan is built around what was actually found rather than a standard package applied to every patient. Two people who both describe "too much screen time" may leave with very different plans - one built around CBT and family involvement, another requiring treatment for an underlying mood disorder first.
The first consultation is an unhurried conversation, not a test - a review of patterns and triggers, an open discussion, and a collaborative plan for next steps, in complete confidentiality. There is no judgement, only an effort to understand the situation clearly. The visit ends with a diagnosis, the options, and a realistic next step in writing.
Treatment approach
Addresses the habits and thought patterns driving compulsive use.
Supports recovery at home without adding conflict.
Built around sustainable habits rather than abrupt restriction.
A non-invasive, medication-sparing option considered in select cases involving treatment-resistant depression or OCD-like compulsive patterns.
Recognising the pattern
Internet addiction shows up differently across ages and lifestyles. Many people show a mix of the signs below.
Who Is Affected
Signs to Watch For
Why choose Healthy Minds India
Compulsive internet and gaming use is assessed with the same clinical structure applied to treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions - a full evaluation before a plan is proposed, not a generic checklist handed out at the first meeting. Dr. Kumar's background in de-addiction medicine means the craving-and-relapse pattern behind internet addiction is treated as a recognised clinical pattern, not a lifestyle inconvenience.
Every plan accounts for what sits underneath the behaviour - anxiety, depression, ADHD, or family and academic pressure - because addressing the screen time alone rarely holds without it. Patients across India can access this level of assessment through telepsychiatry, with the same diagnostic rigour and follow-up as an in-person visit, without needing to travel to a metro city for a specialist opinion.
Common questions
Yes. While still being formally classified in some diagnostic systems, problematic internet use is a well-recognised behavioural health concern that neuropsychiatrists routinely treat, especially alongside anxiety, depression, or attention difficulties.
Not always. Many cases are managed effectively with therapy and lifestyle changes alone. Medication is considered only if an underlying condition like anxiety or depression is also present.
This varies by individual. Some see improvement within a few weeks of therapy; others benefit from a longer-term plan, especially if other conditions are involved.
Yes. Adolescent internet and gaming addiction is one of the most common concerns treated here, with plans adapted for younger patients and usually involving the family.
Yes. Patients from anywhere in India can book a secure telepsychiatry consultation. In-person visits are available at the Patna clinic for those who prefer them.
Yes, completely. Nothing discussed is shared with anyone without consent.
Heavy use alone isn't addiction. It becomes a concern when a person loses control over their use and experiences real distress or dysfunction as a result.
No. The goal is understanding, not judgment. Many patients feel embarrassed at first, but this is a common and treatable concern.
For most patients, yes. Assessment, therapy, and follow-up can be conducted securely over video, with plans adjusted the same way as for in-person patients. In-person visits are recommended only in specific clinical situations.
Call the clinic directly, or use the online booking option to schedule an in-person or telepsychiatry consultation at a convenient time.
Your consultant
MBBS · MD (Psychiatry), AIIMS New Delhi
Consultant Psychiatrist and Neuropsychiatrist with over 15 years of experience, and a special interest in adolescent mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions. He currently serves as Associate Professor and Head of Psychiatry at R.D.J.M. Medical College, Muzaffarpur.
Book an assessment
An assessment takes one unhurried appointment. Leave your number and our reception staff will call you back within working hours - or simply ring the clinic.
Struggling quietly for months is reason enough. Ten minutes on the phone today can change the next ten years.
