title: Comparative study of the effects of bupropion and escitalopram on Internet gaming disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We compared the efficacy of bupropion and escitalopram treatments in Internet gaming disorder (IGD) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 119 adolescents and adults with IGD. We treated these participants for 6 weeks in three groups as follows: 44 participants were treated with bupropion SR (bupropion group), 42 participants were treated with escitalopram (escitalopram group), and 33 patients without any medication were observed in the community (observation group). At baseline and at the 6-week follow-up visit, all subjects were evaluated using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale, the Young Internet Addiction Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the ADHD Rating Scale, and the Behavioral Inhibition and Activation Scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both the escitalopram group and the bupropion group showed improvement on all clinical symptom scales after 6 weeks of treatment compared to the observation group. Additionally, the bupropion group showed greater improvement on scores for the Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale, the Young Internet Addiction Scale, the ADHD Rating Scale, and the Behavioral Inhibition Scale than the escitalopram group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both bupropion and escitalopram were effective in treating and managing IGD symptoms. Moreover, bupropion appeared to be more effective than escitalopram in improving attention and impulsivity in IGD patients. In addition, attention and impulsivity seem to be important for the management of IGD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jinuk
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong Ha
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Doug Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sungwon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, Daegu, South Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Young
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, Daegu, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyuk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Konkuk University Chungju Hospital, Chungju, South Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Ho
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Young Sik
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016642:Bupropion / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015283:Citalopram / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018910:Video Games; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016642:Bupropion; D015283:Citalopram; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
keywords: 
  Internet gaming disorder; antidepressants; bupropion; escitalopram; pharmacotherapy