Rome’s Policlinico Gemelli hospital, whose former patients include Pope John Paul II, has opened a clinic to treat Internet Addiction Disorder, a pathology linked to the obsessive need to be online.

The center is a unit of the psychiatric department and has received its first patients, according to a statementhon the hospital’s Web site. The Gemelli is one of the Italian capital’s biggest medical centers.

“The disorder is linked to the booming use of the Internet, especially among the younger generation,” Lucio D’Alessandris, a psychologist at the center, said in an interview. “Many of the patients have interpersonal problems: They don’t talk to their neighbors and hardly go out, but are online all night to chat with someone in, say, Nepal.”

The clinic’s treatment mirrors similar help offered in Japan, China and in the U.S. recently with the opening in August of the reStart Internet Addiction Recovery Program in Fall City, Washington, near the headquarters of Microsoft. About 10 percent of the users of Facebook Inc., operator of the world’s most popular social-networking site, may develop a dependency, according to the Rome hospital’s release. 

As more clinics open, it is hoped that more research will be conducted on the best methods of treatment. Several articles are posted online regarding treatment but only one study (see under Articles section of the site) has examined outcome studies with 114 patients treated at the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery.