Doctors are big on relying on their pedigrees to weigh their opinions as somehow more significant than those of the general public, but there are occasions in which their thoughts can hold some merit, no matter how depressing that merit may be. In this case, Dr. Jerald Block, a Portland psychiatrist, raises the issue in a recent editorial in this month's issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry, in which he says he feels online addictions such as gaming, the internet and MySpace should be treated seriously by the psychatric community.
From the source:
"Like other addicts, users experience cravings, urges, withdrawal and tolerance, requiring more and better equipment and software, or more and more hours online... people can lose all track of time or neglect "basic drives," like eating or sleeping. Relapse rates are high and some people may need psychoactive medications or hospitalization."
Now, allow me to clarify that by feeling some agreement towards Dr. Block's statement, I am not in any way suggesting I agree that gaming as a whole should be instantly regarded as a direct source of mental illness. However, as recently evidenced by some disturbing footage floating around the net, some doctors feel that online and gaming addiction are a very real problem, and should be treated with as much care as a drug or food addiction would be.
Dr. Block hopes to see online addiction added into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which will be published in 2012. Surely after the recent tragedies in parts of Asia where kids died after spending obsessive amounts of time online, it's sure that people are keeping a close eye on the trend. Of course, people who prefer to blame games rather than the mental illness that was likely alive and well before the games were even discovered by the users are likely to trumpet about the topic, which is why this is always a problematic discussion no matter what the source.
[Via Canada.com - thanks, Jonathan]
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Gaming addiction is just a result of bad parenting. Whenever I spent too much time on my Computer or SNES my dad shoved me outside and locked the door so I couldn't get in.
HURF DURF ANGRY INTERNET COMMENT DURR
That's it, guys. Let's just go turn ourselves in.
I know what you mean. My stupid doctor is always like, eat right! Exercise! You need to get your leprosy treated!
And I'm all like, yeah, well that's just your opinion, man.
I am addicted to the internet and this is true please god help me get away
There is a level when gaming can become detrimental to ones mental or physical health. Those people need help.
But this can be said about many addicts, automobile addicts, myspace addicts, chatroom addicts, reality tv addicts, party addicts, workout addicts...
[insert activity here] addicts.
I don't think he necessary pointed to criticize gaming but is just acknowledging that gaming can become addictive.
The mass media however, will find a way to spin those words to say "game=addiction, therefore gamers=addicts"
Hi, I'm Kaspar and i'm an addict.
It wasn't really a problem until the whole freaking world flipped out and decided that I need meds to compensate the fact that I don't have anything else to do with my time besides playing games and surfin around the web.
Government came and took my interweb!
Gaming addiction is real, but hardly present. I mean, most of us are just really big fans of games. It's our hobby and we love it to fucking death. Some people take this expression literally and shirk their every-day responsibilities and occasionally their survival instinct for the craft
Gaming addiction is very real, but its rare. I had a friend who got scurvy due to his gaming addiction(he's a local LEGEND now). I think getting scurvy put his priorities into perspective and he calmed down to a manageable level of gaming.
So yeah, gaming addiction is real, but I have a big feeling its going to be over diagnosed.
anything enjoyable can become an addiction. I wouldn't rush to say bad parenting or any other cause. Its just life, something you enjoy you can to too much of.
Psychiatry is a pretty slow science anyway. they'll argue about this for 20 years before anything happens.
Homosexuality was a illness until the 70's. now it only is if your religous too.
I don't see why it shouldn't be included in the DSM-V. The current DSM-IV contains hundreds of disorders from the severe to the exceptionally mild. In fact, if everyone who read this post were to go through that manual, a majority would find they have at least one disorder. So, why not? The DSM (although sometimes used in court) is simply meant to be a diagnostic manual, I don't see any real harm in adding a potential disorder that afflicts thousands.
Now, what about adding Destructoi Addiction--the constant reading in posting to the extent that you neglect playing video games?
I allways new there was something wrong with me..
@harassmentPanda:
Yeah they should add freaking Dtoid addicton.. I'm here atleast 7 times a day xD just can't keep my curos from this little bookmark on the top left of my FFox screen...
Why can't they just call <insert addiction here> a dopamine disorder?
That's what it is: 3rd from last paragraph: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro05/web1/isiddiqui.html
I'd say it's probable "gaming addiction" isn't so much a problem than it is a symptom. Especially for those who play games at an unhealthy level, may be using games as an escape just as one would use drugs or alcohol. They aren't addicted to the game or drugs so much as they are addicted to the dopamine released from pleasing whatever desire this medium fills.
I really think that a psychologist should try to prove addictive personalities rather than "addictive habits" As a former smoker and wow player, i really think the problem lies with the individual and not with the activity.
"Gaming Addition" is a very real problem just like any other "drug" out there.
Nothing to see here or anything hardly even worth mentioning...
"Doctors are big on relying on their pedigrees to weigh their opinions as somehow more significant than those of the general public"
Don't mean to quibble --and I know you were backing this guy up in this case-- but don't their pedigrees particularly in their own fields actually make their opinions at the very least a little more worth taking pause and reflection over than those of the general public?
Humans, by nature are habitual creatures. Addiction is apart of our genetic makeup. These fucking psychiatrist only say this shit to make more money with treatments that are not needed. Think about it. Anything in life can be addictive if yo like it enough. Whats wrong with doing something you like everyday? I guess the so called "doctors" want everyone to be boring and unhappy so that we will buy loads of antidepressants and pain pills.
i guess i have a"running addiction", a "video game addiction", a "urination addiction", a "breathing addiction"
I guess i have an addiction to enjoying my life?
quick prescribe me medication i don't actually need!
oh placebos!
Melmoth:
Most (decent) psychologists or psychiatrists won't call anything an addiction if it doesn't negatively impact your life in some way. If you play video games for 8 hours a day and function normally, it's not a problem. If you play video games for 8 hours a day, shun all other social activity in favor of video games, get upset/nervous/panicked when you're not playing them, and play them to the point that you neglect your physical health, then you have an addiction.
Video game addiction doesn't mean "plays a lot of games".
9_9 This has been debated by the APA and rejected. The large majority of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists that this would not be a useful diagnostic category. The DSM is already littered with archaic diagnoses and functionally useless definitions. It doesn't need any more.
Anything can be done in excess long enough until you get comfortable in that situation to the point where it satisfies you more than basic human needs or interaction. That's addiction. If someone ever wants to get out of that situation, it's as simple as finding something to replace it with. That can be something negative (ignoring what got you there and just reaching for pills, unhealthy junk), or positive (realizing what got you to that point and changing yourself by replacing the habit with a hobby or lifestyle change).
These professionals just want someone for them to pay attention to their clinical, wordy prescriptions, so let's stop noticing them.
@Kaspar
You got a point!
I used to play games for HOURS straight (up to 12 hours sometimes)! Simply because I never had anything else to do!
My parents didnt like it, but I was never sent to a psychiatrist or anything about that in particular.
I never got meds either.
I've been suffering from OCD, anxiety and depression since I was 11 years old (I'm MUCH better now). Videogames was my escape, and if it wasnt for it then I would've been a nervous wreck today -- at the age of 17!
But now I'm a bit more bored with playing games, and my play sessions are 1-3 hours 3-4 times a week.
Boom! Like that, I suddenly got bored! Simply because I recovered from my problems and got more stuff to do!
A mental illness would NOT work that way.
If a person is addicted to videogames then it must be a deeper cause for it. And therapists should work to remove those causes instead of diagnosing a person with yet another condition.
oh ok, my bad then.
Video game addiction doesn't mean "plays a lot of games".
Unfortunately, to society it does.
More BS from so called experts of whatever. Like the song said, don't believe the hype.
People can become addicted to anything. Any professional who thinks his opinion is important enough to make an announcement like that is probably just trying to grab the spotlight by playing Captain Obvious.
Doctors are big on relying on their pedigrees to weigh their opinions as somehow more significant than those of the general public, but there are occasions in which their thoughts can hold some merit, no matter how depressing that merit may be.
I had always assumed that their years of schooling and experience made their opinion more weighted, but what do I know.
i only realized i had a problem when i found myself with a bottle of lotion in one hand and my pud in other eagerly anticipating the graphic sex scenes in mass effect i had heard about on fox news...
Doesn't matter, my healthcare still won't cover it.
Addiction is a funny subject. Basically anything that makes you happy can become addictive to the right kind of person. We talk about our "obsessions", but most of us don't obsess to the point of not eating and losing sleep/friends. That kind of drive, spent on something society likes better (work!), is seen as a good thing until you lose the majority of your friends. Some people are more prone to obsessive behavior than others, and the pleasure of the game has a more powerful effect on them.
The problem is obsessive behavior, not the target of the obsession ... that's why addiction to alcohol and cigarettes get special attention. Along with the "this shit makes me happy, I am going to keep doing it" thrill your body gets, these have extra chemical influence on you. Having an addiction to gaming is more like having a gambling problem. Still a real problem, for some people, but not quite as dangerous to the general public.
I can quit anytime i want, i swear
(no i cant)
I have never seen somebody addicted to a fps or adventure to experience withdrawal or jitters when away from it (common signs of addiction) but I have seen this occur with MMOs. I think that they should specifically target MMOs. I remember last year reading a few articles about babies dying because of neglect while there parents played WoW or LotRO. The MMO addiction exists it needs to be addressed.
Why would they not take extreme cases of addictions, in general, serious? Doesn't matter what the person is addicted to, when they start ignoring the necessities of life and doing whatever it takes to fulfill their addictions, then that person needs help.
Another way of saying this is "No Shit Sherlock."
Well, Destructoid gets it. Makes me really glad knowing some people have their heads still. Rockville is HORRIBLE. Seriously, I can't walk 2 feet without someone talking about their medication for something totally inane or a radio advertisement that blabs on and on about how they can help you with your "I don't like cold weather" disorder. >_< face >_< palm.
Good show everyone.
When gaming gets in the way of your life and it hurts others or cause harm to you, then its an addiction.
And some adults get swept up in this as well, bad parenting isn't the only problem, poor choices are a problem as well.
If I get diagnosed as addicted to gaming, can I claim disability benefits and live off the taxpayers?
I agree that one can indeed be addicted to videogames. However, we all know how the general public will react to this sentiment. Games have always been accused as detrimental to society and this will only reinforce that misguided notion.
Gaming can result in an increase in pleasure. Therefore it makes sense that one could be addicted to it. I just hope that others don't point to games and say they are as addictive as drugs. I am pretty sure the percentage of drug users who are addicted is higher than the percentage of gamers who are addicted. This, of course, won't matter when a media outlet like Fox News picks up on it.
It is also worth noting that sex can be addictive even though there is nothing wrong with that particular behavior (especially since it keeps our species alive).
@Mxyzptlk
Thaths the smart stuff I like to hear about! Other than that I love these studies that stupid people do.
I believe there are a number of video-game-addicts out there, hell I'm probably one of them, it just depends on how you let it take a place in your life...
Are there people who need docters guidance away from videogames? probably yes ( looking at WoW and stuff mostly ) but I don't think we should blame the games on their own, these people who do get addicted and who do let it become such an issue that they lose their jobS/friends/family will most likeky have a slew of other issues that they need guidance with too...
I'd rather have them see video-game-addiction as a symptom of something far more serious then as 'the disease'
Most of the comments I've read seem to be right in line to most of the gamers I know. Most like to play games maybe a few hours a night like myself and have a great time doing it. But there is a small majority that do it to much where it negatively impacts other aspects of their life, i.e. losing your job, spouse, family, friends, whatever.
As a former fairly hardcore WOW player I can see where studies like this can hold some weight. There were a few times that I didn't go out to the bars with my friends because I was playing WOW, which they didn't know about. Yea not a big deal to some, but afterwards I started to get fewer calls from them. Not that big of a deal compared to the guys that died while playing a game, but I did see the negative side of playing too much, so I stopped. The problem that arises is that some people can't simply turn off that behavior, similar to smoking, drinking, gambling, sex, whatever, hence the term addiction. Its these people who need the help, and if this study can get some people in to get help then thats fine with me.
The first step is admitting you have a problem. But the thing is, I call it a hobby, not a problem.
I'll admit it can be as addicting as alcohol, but definitely not any super addictive drug.
As long as they never diagnose it as a disease I'm fine with it.
It's not so much gaming addiction as it is MMO's. It's really almost exclusive to those, and is more in line with general internet addiction, and people living their entire social lives on the computer.
you can be addicted to TV too. and milk. anything can be addictive, and when it gets to that point, it's a real problem that you should deal with.
just be smart about it. if your friends and family start saying, "you spend too much time on that game!" maybe give it a rest for a bit! they're just trying to help.
Hm, I've never heard of anyone going into withdrawal. Sure, I'll (and probably many of you too) will play games up to seven hours straight sometimes, but there's no problem if you go into withdrawal afterwards.
Anyone who is saying 'you can be addicted to anything' obviously has no idea what the DSM-IV is, or how it works. The outline for addiction in the DSM-IV breaks it into
<insert substance> abuse, which means that the substance has caused problems in 1 out of 4 of:
1. relationships to other people
2. your general health
3. your income/employment
4. run ins with the law
Anyone who thinks this can be attributed to milk, while good for 'lulz' is clearly retarded.
Tolerance is the next category which has a different set of criteria, one of which involves meeting the categories for abuse, and then meeting a certain number of criteria for the diagnosis of tolerance (being obviously higher up the addiction ladder than abuse).
The DSM has a lot of criteria for a lot of disorders, and as HarrassmentPanda says, if you look through just for criteria matching you're likely to find you fit the criteria for a few different mental disorders. As such, the most important criteria is that any diagnosis made from the DSM-IV is meant to impact negatively on your life or the life of others.
Which is why it's a diagnostic tool to allow psychiatrists to give a diagnosis for the psychological issues that made your life fall apart, not so that people can be diagnosed as addicted to certain things.
Anything can become an addiction. I don't think it's necessarily a sign of mental illness, any more so than alcohol or tobacco addiction is a sign of mental illness.
I'm only addicted to Dtoid.
addiction is not an Illness. Idiots........
I hate Psychiatrists
If I could get some drugs out of it, I'd go to the psychiatrist and cry about how I'm addicted to videogames & the internet and blah, blah, blah. gimme the prescription, bitch!
I spend 46 hours on computers every week for work. If I didn't have videogames I would lose my digital mind!
@Michiyoyoshiku
Addiction is not an illness, unless it causes problems with your life (health, relationships, legally or employment wise), in which case it is a definable mental illness.
Hating psychiatrists does not change the fact that some people cannot responsibly use said substance without fucking up their own lives or the lives of those around them.
What would you prefer it defined as if it isn't an illness??