Clinic named after Bahira Menturi in Konstantin, Algeria, launched the first rehabilitation program in this country for people suffering from Internet addiction.
The clinic pays special attention to compulsive users of social networks. Since the launch of the program in May 2016, its participants have become more than a hundred people aged 15 to 40 years. In the most severe cases, patients could practically not come off the Internet, even to eat or take a shower. Among the external consequences of the disorder, doctors note head and spinal pains, aggressiveness and anxiety, if the patient is not given the opportunity to go online.
In addition to therapy, the clinic also conducts a public educational campaign, the purpose of which is to draw attention to a pressing problem. Algeria has a high level of youthful unemployment, only 25 % of people under 24 years of age have any job. Often, the only place where young people can get together is round-the-clock Internet cafes, which further exacerbates the problem.
The assistance program includes musical and physical therapy, as well as meditations and group and individual sessions with a psychologist. The hospital receives all funding for the project from the state.