Petra Vondráčková

Background and aims Out of a large number of studies on Internet addiction, only a few have been published on the prevention of Internet addiction. The aim of this study is provide a systematic review of scientific articles regarding the prevention of Internet addiction and to identify the relevant topics published in this area of interest. Method...

The purpose of the edited book is to increase public awareness of the phenomenon of addictive behaviour on the internet. This topic has become largely discussed in media mainly using the discourse of moral panic. Many professionals used to ignore this health problem due to a lack of agreement on diagnostic criteria. This situation was changed in 20...

The excessive use of the internet for sexual purposes may represent a person’s excessive sexual behaviour on the internet which causes them work-related, social, and personal problems. There is currently no consensus regarding the conceptualisation and diagnosis of excessive internet use for sexual purposes. This issue is generally understood as co...

This chapter presents a case study, which will provide a better understanding of the phenomenon of Internet addiction, followed by a historical overview of the Internet addiction phenomenon and its place in the context of mental health. It introduces the contributions of major researchers who, focused on defining its core components, designed measu...

Behavior that brings instant gratification tends to be repeated. Despite its negative effects, frequent repetition in the long run becomes a habit or addiction. In recent decades there is the trend to extend the term substance addiction to behavioral (non-substance) addiction in the psychiatric literature. This trend is also reflected among other t...

Behavior that brings instant gratification tends to be repeated. Despite its negative effects, frequent repetition in the long run becomes a habit or addiction. In recent decades there is the trend to extend the term substance addiction to behavioral (non-substance) addiction in the psychiatric literature. This trend is also reflected among other t...

Background: Different service characteristics are known to influence mental health care delivery. Much less is known about the impact of contextual factors, such as the socioeconomic circumstances, on the provision of care to socially marginalized groups. The objectives of this work were to assess the organisational characteristics of services prov...

Introduction: Online psychotherapy represents a legitimate psychotherapeutic intervention. A self-help program for people with internet addiction was launched on the website of the Department of Addictology, Charles University in Prague in 2011. Objectives: We evaluate the on-line tool through analysis of the basic sociodemographic characteristics...

Aim: This study examines the accessibility of addiction treatment within services providing mental health care and support for people from socially marginalized groups in deprived urban areas across EU countries. Methods: Services providing mental health care and support in deprived areas of 14 EU capital cities were assessed with a questionnaire....

Mental health problems are disproportionately higher amongst homeless people. Many barriers exist for homeless people with mental health problems in accessing treatment yet little research has been done on service provision and quality of care for this group. The aim of this paper is to assess current service provision and identify barriers to care...

According to the World Health Organisation, in 2003-2005 Europe was the region with the highest level of alcohol consumption in the world, and the Czech Republic ranked second (with 16.5 litres per person per year). With its negative impact on individuals and society, alcohol belongs among the most harmful psychoactive substances. Its high level of...

The text provides basic information on the epidemiology of alcohol use in the world and the Czech Republic. Together with Andorra and Estonia, the Czech Republic ranks among the countries with the highest consumption of alcohol in the world. With regard to patterns of alcohol use among countries, the largest number of abstainers can be found in Isl...

Background Irregular migrants (IMs) are exposed to a wide range of risk factors for developing mental health problems. However, little is known about whether and how they receive mental health care across European countries. The aims of this study were (1) to identify barriers to mental health care for IMs, and (2) to explore ways by which these ba...

Socially marginalised groups tend to have higher rates of mental disorders than the general population and can be difficult to engage in health care. Providing mental health care for these groups represents a particular challenge, and evidence on good practice is required. This study explored the experiences and views of experts in 14 European coun...

OBJECTIVES: To describe the motives for playing online. games (MMORPG) in players whose behaviour shows symptoms of addiction to the Internet, the reasons which lead the players to reduce their playing, and how such a reduction takes place. DESIGN: Qualitative study. METHOD: Content analysis of semi-structured interviews focused on the motivation f...

Internet addiction can be defined as overuse of the Internet leading to impairment of an individual’s psychological state; this includes both mental and emotional states, as well as scholastic, occupational, and social interactions. Internet addiction was first mentioned in a clinical context by Kimberly Young in 1996, since then it has received at...

Background: Providing mental health care to socially marginalized groups is a challenge. There is limited evidence on what form of mental health-care generic (i.e. not targeting a specific social group) and group-specific services provide to socially marginalized groups in Europe. Aim: To describe the characteristics of services providing mental...

Online psychotherapy is now a respected mode of psychosocial treatment. Nowadays the attention of researchers is primarily focused on its effectiveness. Authors provide an overview of 30 studies dealing with the effectiveness of online psychotherapy. They collected surveys focused on the effectiveness of one of three basic forms of online therapy:...

Even in the era of the Internet, printed media are still among the most frequently identified sources of mental health information. Many studies have shown that this information is frequently negative and contributes to stigmatization of people with mental illness. This international comparative study describes the content of media messages about m...

After a brief overview of the addictive behaviour on the Internet phenomenon is presented a case study of a client who attended three-year psychotherapy. During the treatment schizoid dynamic in the form of withdrawing from problematic situations to his inner world emerged underneath the Internet addiction, due to the temperament and his childhood...

Objectives Many studies describing print media representations of mental illnesses have showed that these depictions are frequently negative and contribute to consequent stigmatization of people with mental illness. The main objective of this international study was to identify predictors of stigmatizing and nonstigmatizing articles on mental illne...

BACKGROUND: While the inhalation of volatile substances is one of the most risky forms of drug use, there is only scant information available about it in comparison to other addictive substances. On the basis of existing research, there is reasonable suspicion that inhalant use concerns mainly children from socially excluded localities and ethnic m...

The paper provides an overview of the patterns of alcohol use in the countries of the former Soviet Union, the Muslim countries, the countries of East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the USA, and Europe. Room & Mäkelä (2000) divide countries into four basic categories according to patterns of use: (a) abstinent societies; (b) cultures with...

Methamphetamine (pervitin) has a unique position on the Czech drug scene. The problem use of this substance entails a range of health consequences, as well as having serious implications in terms of public health. The problem users of pervitin account for two thirds of all the problem drug users in the Czech Republic. Pervitin use-related indicator...

The Internet, as the fastest-growing medium, is becoming more affordable for the general population, allowing cheap, fast, and efficient communication in several modalities, such as text, sound, and images. Around two thirds of Internet users in developed countries use the Intenet to find information about health problems and their treatment. There...

Objectives: Media are considered to be the public's primary source of information regarding mental illness. It's known that media significantly contribute to the stigmatisation of mental disorders, as well as the people with such ailments. This international comparative study describes the content of media messages about mental health in terms of s...

The current state of knowledge of the media influence research confirms that the way reality is presented in the media has an impact on the attitudes, knowledge and behaviour of the public. This was confirmed also for the presentation of mental disorders. The way media provide information about this subject does not comply with real life. Moreover,...

This study investigated addictive behavior on the Internet in the Czech Republic, Chile and Sweden. Data were collected via interviews with 592 respondents from Chile, 1381 respondents from the Czech Republic and 2057 respondents from Sweden. This study presents data on the prevalence of addictive behavior on the Internet in the Czech Republic, whi...

Addictive behavior on the Internet is a new phenomenon in the practice of clinical psychiatrists and psychologist. It is defined as use of the Internet that creates psychological, social, school and work difficulties in a person's life. The brief academic history of addictive behavior on the Internet is accompanied by many discussions about its exi...