<p>My son is in the last year of college, but is now on academic probation, found out he is doing too much online gaming/chat and not sleeping at nights. Even during class he had to pop out his computer and do some small games/checking email/chat/text and not paying attention in class. I need to get him some help, what type of help should I get him? Psychologist? How do I look up for these type of help? Thanks</p>
<p>He’s a college senior? Perhaps he needs a semester off to get his wheels aligned before he finishes up? It’s a long haul from K to college senior and many kids just loose their “mojo” somewhere along the line. Might be cheaper than a therapist!</p>
<p>Talk to him about it and he might possibly have to resort to taking some time off, hoping that the addiction might abate with time.</p>
<p>Call his college’s counseling center, explain the situation and ask who he needs to see. They may be willing to evaluate him first. However, be aware that once he schedules an appointment with them, they won’t be able to tell you ANYTHING without his written permission. But before they see him they could probably tell you who, in general, handles this type of issue.</p>
<p>Good luck. You are not the first poster on CC with a student with an online gaming addiction. :(</p>
<p>This may be a garden hose at the forest fire, but my D and her friends use a Mac application called Self Control. You put in the websites that cause your distraction (for her it is facebook and youtube) and it blocks you out of those sites for whatever duration of time you select. She will do it for a few hours everyday to assure she stays on task with her homework.</p>
<p>If he is on probabtion his senior year I would think that this behavior has been going on for a very long time. What is his overall GPA? Is he receiving financial aid and will that be cut because of his grades? A senior with an on line addiction needs to step back and leave school to pull it together. I am also wondering with A GPA so low what are his job prospects for post graduation? Does he need to retake classes which will likely mean that he is not graduating in May but rather the following semester. If this is the case it sounds like some time away from school might work to his advantage. </p>
<p>If this is trully new behavior (which I doubt) is it possible that he is so frightened about graduating that he did this to himself in an effort to put off the next stage of his life which is entering the world of work. Ask him what his cumulative GPA (all 4 years) is and that may give you a better picture of what is going on.</p>
<p>The good news is that he is aware of this. I am assuming he 'fessed up to you. That is a big first step and you are ahead of the game over a mom with a kid who is failing and is still trying to ferret out the reason. The problem is prevalent, and many addicts keep it a secret so finding out what is causing the problem is a huge stumbling block. If this is indeed the main issue, you have it right smack in front of you to address. </p>
<p>Now what to do about it? That is a tough one. If you are going to invest your money into him, I would suggest you have some very strict rules that he has to follow and you can check. He should have to go to counseling and basically be micromanaged in terms of study and assignments. Difficult to monitor these days since so much is done on line. Perhaps he should have to see a tutor for a few hours each week who "babysits’ him while he gets his work done. That’ s if you can afford this.</p>
<p>Otherwise, he should probably take a leave of absence and try to lick the habit before returning for his degree. Counseling and work and routine at home where you can keep an eye on him. It’ s really a matter of checking on your investment. </p>
<p>I found myself spending too much time online and have to limit myself time wise. Yes, I have a problem too, I know, because I find myself chafing against my own schedule that I have devised. So I am very sympathetic and can see how this can happen. He may have always had a penchant for online stuff, but crossed the line of safety in this last year when he started putting of and not doing things at all because he was too intent on being on the computer.</p>