Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2012 May;26(5):689-96.
doi: 10.1177/0269881111400647. Epub 2011 Mar 29.

Bupropion in the treatment of problematic online game play in patients with major depressive disorder

Doug Hyun Han  1 , Perry F Renshaw
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Bupropion in the treatment of problematic online game play in patients with major depressive disorder

Doug Hyun Han et al. J Psychopharmacol. 2012 May.

Abstract

As one of the problematic behaviors in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), excessive online game play (EOP) has been reported in a number of recent studies. Bupropion has been evaluated as a potential treatment for MDD and substance dependence. We hypothesized that bupropion treatment would reduce the severity of EOP as well as depressive symptoms. Fifty male subjects with comorbid EOP and MDD were randomly assigned to bupropion + education for internet use (EDU) or placebo + EDU groups. The current study consisted in a 12-week, prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial, including an eight-week active treatment phase and a four-week post treatment follow-up period. During the active treatment period, Young Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS) scores and the mean time of online game playing in the bupropion group were greatly reduced compared with those of the placebo group. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores in the bupropion group were also greatly reduced compared with those of the placebo group. During the four-week post-treatment follow-up period, bupropion-associated reductions in online game play persisted, while depressive symptoms recurred. Conclusively, bupropion may improve depressive mood as well as reduce the severity of EOP in patients with comorbid MDD and online game addiction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

No competing financial interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes of online game usage and mood at baseline, eight weeks, and 12 weeks. YIAS: Young’s Internet Addiction Scale, BDI: Beck Depression Inventory.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Response rates (BDI and YIAS). (A) Response rates, Beck Depression Inventory Scale (BDI), bupropion group (56%) vs. placebo group (48%), χ2 = 34.7, p < 0.01; Young Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS), bupropion group (48%) vs. placebo group (12%), χ2 = 30.9, p < 0.01. (B) The change of YIAS scores between responders and non-responders; responders: patients with post-treatment BDI scores of less than 30% of baseline scores, F = 9.96, p < 0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Aboujaoude E, Koran LM, Gamel N, et al. Potential markers for problematic internet use: a telephone survey of 2,513 adults. CNS Spectr. 2006;11:750–755. - PubMed
    1. Aiken CB. Pramipexole in psychiatry: a systematic review of the literature. J Clin Psychiatry. 2007;68:1230–1236. - PubMed
    1. Ascher JA, Cole JO, Colin JN, et al. Bupropion: a review of its mechanism of antidepressant activity. J Clin Psychiatry. 1995;56:395–401. - PubMed
    1. Beard KW. Internet addiction: a review of current assessment techniques and potential assessment questions. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2005;8:7–14. - PubMed
    1. Bechara A. Risky business: emotion, decision-making, and addiction. J Gambl Stud. 2003;19:23–51. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances