Overview

• A teenager in Orbassano was treated at San Luigi hospital with intramuscular and intravenous anxiolytics after exhibiting acute psychomotor agitation from smartphone withdrawal.
• Psychiatrist Gianluca Rosso warns that compulsive phone use stimulates the same dopaminergic reward circuits as alcohol or drugs.
• Italian Ministry of Health data indicate over a quarter of adolescents show problematic smartphone use linked to anxiety, sleep loss and social withdrawal.
• The experimental ASL Città di Torino department unites psychiatry, neuropsychiatry and psychology to offer continuous care from childhood through adulthood.
• Experts advocate structured cognitive-behavioral therapy and proactive parental guidance to prevent and manage digital addiction.