2 posts shown.
Thanks to everyone who’s jumped in so far with advice. I just wanted to add one thing: contrary to what a few people mentioned above, neither my parents nor I ever told my brother to just go sit at his computer to calm down. It was actually the exact opposite—we were always telling him to turn it off more often so he could hang out with us, watch a movie, run errands, or just talk. So, I really don't think he was being neglected.
Regarding the suggestions about seeing a psychiatrist, we've thought about it several times ourselves. Honestly, it felt unthinkable at first because we didn't view him as "sick," but now we'd try anything just to help him. The catch is, as > and > pointed out, he doesn't even realize there's an issue. The second we even mention a psychologist or a psychiatrist, he just shakes his head and calls us crazy for thinking he needs it. We've tried to talk him into going for just one session, but nothing works.
>, you mentioned that you had to hospitalize your cousin. I'm really curious how you managed that? Did he go willingly, or was it more of an involuntary situation?
First off, I’d like to ask the mods if we can please keep this as a standalone thread. I’m looking for specific advice regarding a unique situation I’m about to describe. I’m not here to have a general debate about how many hours behind a screen constitutes an addiction or anything like that. This is a real, urgent problem, and things are starting to spiral out of control.
My brother is a year younger than me and he's currently a senior in high school. He hasn't shown up to class in days, and the reason seems to be a massive addiction to the internet and online gaming (at least, that's how we see it). He spends literally every waking second at his computer from the moment he gets home until he goes to sleep. I never see him studying, let alone hanging out with friends outside. He was always more of a loner, but even his social circle is mostly online; he doesn't really hang out with people in person or play sports like other "normal" guys his age. But this has escalated into a major crisis. For weeks now, he's been skipping school, claiming he's just "done" with it because his grades are too low and he wants to take a break. Now he's saying he plans to finish his diploma through an online equivalency program next year. It was such a shock to my parents and me. No matter how much we talk to him, plead with him, or beg him to just push through this last semester, he stays completely cold and detached. He just sits there, glued to that screen.
Honestly, I’m lost. He keeps trying to convince me that everything is fine—that he's just over school and that plenty of his online friends have done the exact same thing. I can't wrap my head around it. I know something is seriously wrong, but I don't know how to help him. My parents and I have tried setting boundaries, like cutting off the Wi-Fi or even turning off the power, but it backfires completely. He becomes incredibly aggressive, shouting and throwing things for hours until we finally give in and turn it back on. We can't just cut the internet permanently because we need it for work and running our lives.
My mom has reached out to psychologists a few times, but none of them have given us any practical guidance. Everything they say is just generic stuff like "he needs to socialize more," "he should join a club," or "he needs to get into sports." If we even suggest that to him, he just starts screaming at us to leave him alone, insisting he doesn't want those things and that we can't force him.
Right now, I feel like we're hitting a wall. I've spent hours scouring the web, but most of what I find is about younger kids or early teens; I can't find anything useful for someone his age. This forum is honestly our last resort. I'm hoping someone here has dealt with something similar or knows someone who has. Or, if anyone knows if there's a specific psychological diagnosis for this kind of behavior, please let me know so I know what to search for. We are truly desperate.😢