Syed Imran Haider 
Just as the cryptocurrency industry has picked up the pace in terms of adoption, it has also invoked several medical problems for the investors.
Just like addictions to drugs and other intoxicating substances, cryptocurrency trading has also become an addition. Therefore, it has become very important for governments to consider the particular factors.
Story of Don and his Crypto Addiction
A person named Don was addicted to crypto and its investments. There was a time when he was investing money up to $200,000 every week. All of this money used to go into cryptocurrency trades.
There was a time he used to sweat puddles before boarding any flight because, during flight hours, the internet was inaccessible.
He further explains that he was so invested in crypto-trading that he did not want to use his real name. He wishes to remain anonymous because he fears his comments could spark a backlash from investors.
In the middle of 2022, Don’s mental health deteriorated so much that he had to seek therapy.
Therapy for crypto addiction? Yes, it sounds unbelievable but such things do exist in today’s world. There are a lot of luxury rehab centers that offer therapy for crypto addiction.
He joined a rehabilitation program from a rehab center called “The Balance” which is located on the Spanish island of Majorca.
His treatment cost him a huge sum of $75,000 and his rehab package included not only therapy but also massages, yoga, and bike rides.
The Balance describes itself as a “safe space enabling health and fulfillment”. If we visit their page, it shows us a beachfront villa, spa, and glowing testimonials from past clients.
They provide treatment for anxiety, burnout, depression, PTSD, and eating disorders as well but what matters is that Don said that it helped him “wean off crypto”.
Anna Lembke, a psychiatry professor at Stanford University and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic says that the treatment for crypto addiction is similar to other addictions.
This statement itself means that crypto addiction can be dealt with using widely used therapeutic methods.
She termed it as a bio-psychosocial disease and that it requires a bio-psychosocial intervention. She further tells us that the costs for such therapies are not always justified.
Treatment of Crypto Addiction
This could mean that crypto-addiction should be treated like gambling and has become an argument among experts.
She says that the treatment for crypto addictions should begin with abstinence and managing withdrawal symptoms.
Such symptoms could include anxiety, irritability, and insomnia.
She further tells us that the withdrawal symptoms are usually for a limited time and can be dealt with emotional support and reassurance that they will go away.
The treatments would also include healthier options for financial investment in the long run. Another person named Jane, a 32-year-old from London was also battling with crypto addiction and needed therapy.
She also wanted to remain anonymous similar to Don. Jane tells us that she used to go to “trading benders” for more than 3 days consecutively.
These trading benders convinced her partner to think that she was having an affair with someone. The fact that she couldn’t even tell what she actually was doing made things worse between them.
She looks back on her old days and tells that she got into crypto around 2014. In the start, she was only investing a couple of thousand into it.
As time went by, it became a crippling addiction for her as she started spending hundreds of thousands on crypto.
In the end, she sought therapy from Paracelsus Recovery at a weekly cost of 104,000$ and described it as a 360 degree approach to mental health.
