There are 102 outpatient clinics in Italy to treat Internet addiction. They deal with 3667 patients - mostly between the ages of 15 and 18 - and have 358 committed professionals. The greatest concentration is in northern Italian regions (38 outpatient clinics in Lombardy alone), which offers 65 percent of services, followed by central regions with 27 percent of services (12 in Marche) and southern regions and islands with 9 percent of services (4 in Sardinia). Among the diagnostic tools, 96 percent of services use clinical interview, 58 percent use standardized testing, and 51 percent use personality scales. Treatment pathways offered are mainly characterized by psychological support to the patient (93%) and family psychotherapy. Most outpatient clinics are also able to meet the demand for treatment of other behavioral addictions, particularly gambling (69%), compulsive shopping (20%) and sex addiction (20%). Seventy-two percent of centers also take users for addictions to legal substances (especially alcohol and nicotine) and 69 percent for addictions to illegal substances such as cocaine. Accessibility to services is free of charge in 88% of cases.
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