People that are hooked to trading cryptocurrencies are regarded as cryptocurrency addicts.
They tend to have their eyes glued to the screen waiting for the right moment to buy/sell cryptocurrencies. They may also operate not one or two accounts for cryptocurrency exchanges, but tens or even hundreds of them.
Castle Craig Hospital, is Scotland’s largest addiction treatment facility. And it has launched a treatment center dedicated to cryptocurrency addicts. At the facility, the professionals believe that the addicts show the same behavior like other addicts.
Like gamblers, they show an urge to continually trade cryptocurrencies in spite of suffering constant losses.
"The high risk, fluctuating cryptocurrency market appeals to the problem gambler," said Chris Burn, a gambling therapist at Castle Craig Hospital. "It provides excitement and an escape from reality. Bitcoin, for example, has been heavily traded and huge gains and losses were made. It’s a classic bubble situation."
The facility said that cryptocurrency addicts can be treated using the same techniques used with other gambling addicts: starting with group therapy where the addicts share their life experiences with each other.
The facility already runs drug and alcohol addiction programmes, but said that it has established what should be the first course for treating cryptocurrency addiction using techniques found in gambling addiction programmes.
While there are no exact number of people who are addicted to cryptocurrency, the facility said that there are around 13 million people across the world who trade in the system.
Some of the treatments at the center is initially led by Tony Marini, a former gambling and cocaine addict. He said that:
