October 8, 2004
Hospital Offers Help For Hungarian Internet Addicts
Hungarian tabloid trailblazer Blikk recently revealed the existence of a clinic in the eastern town of Gyula specializing in the treatment of Internet junkies and SMS "maniacs", according to a Hungarian paper.
"The clinic, which is a branch of the psychiatric department of the Pándy Kálmán Kórház , is reaching out to the estimated 60,000 compulsive Internet users in Hungary, who represent roughly 8% of the country's online total population.
According to the clinic's director, Gábor Vincze , the phenomenon of Internet and SMS addiction is only a few years old in Hungary, and largely limited to men, many of whom work at home. But the caseload is growing by the day, and the cases are getting more and more freaky.
The cure? Sculpture, painting, and other manual activities. Sounds good to us, at least from what we saw online. And as we recall, Gyula not only has one of Hungary's most spectacular fortified castles, but a wonderful thermal bathing complex , and otherwise seems like a great place to go unjack and relax for a few days.
Just remember to pack your mobile-enabled PDA or laptop, because there are no computers in the clinic. "
Related articles:
Germany faces epidemic of text message addicts
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2004/10/005626.htm