GOT-TO-GO: A clinical treatment study for patients with Gaming Disorder

In Sweden there is no manualized cognitive behavioral (CBT) treatment for young adults to adult patients with Gaming disorder (GD). Our aim is to assess whether a CBT-treatment can be effective for GD in a clinical setting.

The study will be conducted at “Mottagning för Spelberoende och Skärmhälsa”, Sahlgrenska University Hospital starting late fall of 2023 to 2026. 130 patients with GD will be randomized into active treatment or to a control group.

The intervention group will undergo a 12-week CBT-based treatment, either face to face or via video-conference meetings. The control group will concurrently conduct weekly self-monitoring assignments. Primary outcome measures will be symptoms of GD and hours spent gaming per week. It is of vital importance to develop new treatment options for this group of patients and evaluate their effects.

This study holds great importance since there is insufficient evidence regarding effective treatment of GD.

There is also growing empirical evidence that GD is comorbid with several other psychiatric disorders and mental health issues, therefore it is important to develop treatment options that are possible to implement in clinical settings, where patients often have several co-occuring psyhiatric conditions.

Further,this study will be also able to provide knowledge support for individuals with GD but also to the general population indicating risk factors for the development of GD.