Gaming-addiction-Psychological-problem-or-social-disorder

Gaming addiction: Psychological problem or social disorder?

By Paul Lester

If you’re more than partial to an evening of World of Warcraft or Call or Duty, best keep track of how many hours you’re wiling away in front of the screen. Gaming addiction is a peculiarly modern phenomena suggested by some as being just as serious as alcohol, drugs and gambling, and there are examples of gamers making themselves seriously ill, or in some rare cases, dying through malnutrition or dehydration. Following the opening of Britain’s first computer rehab clinic, Paul Lester takes a closer look at the issues surrounding gaming addiction to see if things are really as serious as they seem and if dedicated treatment is necessary.

Britain’s first computer rehab clinic opens

Broadway Lodge is a rehabilitation center in Weston-super-Mare, England, that previously focused on treating more common problems such as drink and drugs. It has now modified its facilities to welcome gamers, who undergo group therapy, watch videos and engage in recreational activity in order to wean them from their addiction. Chief Executive Brian Dudley cites the example of a recent 23-year-old patient in order to illustrate the problems they are facing.

''We developed a treatment for him which followed the 12-step (abstinence) approach, but you can't tell someone never to use the Internet again," he said. ''He had eating issues, he wasn't eating properly. He did very well. He has the mechanisms now to cope with it.

“Obviously this is the very early stages of researching how many youngsters are affected, but I would stick my neck out and say between five and ten per cent of parents or partners would say they know of someone addicted to an online game. However, you can't simply say to a 23-year-old male 'you should never use the internet again'. It's just not practical.”

If gaming addiction is to be taken seriously then, there is a real reason to be concerned. A study by Iowa State University earlier this year claimed that one in twelve gamers between the ages of eight and eighteen show signs of addiction. National Institute of Media and Family president David Walsh believes that “This study is a wake-up call for families. While video games can be fun and entertaining, some kids are getting into trouble. I continue to hear from families who are concerned about their child’s gaming habits. Not only do we need to focus on identifying the problem, but we need to find ways to help families prevent and treat it.”

Symptoms of addiction

One of the most vocal experts on this subject over the last couple of years has been Dr Jerald Block, a leading authority on compulsive computer use. Last summer he outlined four symptoms of hopeless addiction, which included:

Forgetting to eat and sleep
Craving more advanced technology
Leaving a computer results in genuine withdrawal
Becoming argumentative, fatigued or isolated from society

Block states "The relationship is with the computer. It becomes a significant other to them. They exhaust emotions that they could experience in the real world on the computer through any number of mechanisms: emailing, gaming, porn.”

Indeed an issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry last year called for Internet addiction to be added to its official guidebook of mental disorders, with many common symptoms of other addictions, including cravings, urges, withdrawal and tolerance also applying to gamers.

Psychological or social disorder?

Dr. Block does attempt to debunk games as the sole perpetrator to an extent though, arguing that around 86% of addicts have some other form of mental illness, turning to the solace of an online persona to escape reality in the same way a person may turn to drugs or alcohol.

Further evidence does seem to suggest that this may be a more accurate representation of a condition than just blaming games themselves. Europe’s first gaming clinic - the Smith & Jones Centre in Amsterdam – opened in 2006 and has since treated hundreds of young gamers. During this time it has changed its stance on treatment after coming to the realization that gaming compulsion is not a psychological problem, but a social one.

Founder Keith Bakker argues that “These kids come in showing some kind of symptoms that are similar to other addictions and chemical dependencies. But the more we work with these kids the less I believe we can call this addiction. What many of these kids need is their parents and their school teachers - this is a social problem."

He goes on to offer more evidence, stating that 80% of the patients they see have been bullied at school and feel isolated or socially excluded. In the case of younger gamers the blame would fall more squarely on the parents then, and indeed treatment that ignores the wider problem may end up doing more harm than good.

"It's a choice," says Bakker. "These kids know exactly what they are doing and they just don't want to change. If no one is there to help them, then nothing will ever happen."

So whether or not the label "addiction" is used, it would seem clear that too much gaming can be a genuine and serious problem, but the jury is still out on exactly how to treat the condition. Statistics indicate deeper social anxieties that see youngsters turning to games to escape the real world, placing the onus more on parents or the individual to create a more stable social environment. With many symptoms being synonymous with alcohol and drug abuse it follows that the core issue may not be entirely dissimilar, in which case the failure to identify and address the problem could still be extremely damaging to an individual’s development.

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The Have I Got A Problem website is a free online resource to help people better understand any issues or concerns they may have about mental health or addiction. The website includes resources specifically focused to; general Mental Health, Depression, Stress, Anxiety, Insecurities, Self-harm Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Anger Management, Eating Disorders, Coping, general Addiction, Alcohol, Smoking, Gambling, Drugs, Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana (Cannabis) Ecstasy, PCP, Mephedrone, Ketamine & Crystal Meth.

The site was created to give the public information to help them understand mental health and addiction issues and to assist people in making better informed decisions about their life and personal choices.

www.haveigotaproblem.com was created and is run by 'Advising Communities’, which is a UK registered charity (Charity No. 1061055)

Quotes

"I hated my stepfather for his embarrassing and painful displays of drunkenness. I hated my brother for being so weak and conniving. I hated my mother for not being strong enough to protect me from them"

Alice

"Through the assistance of my guide, I gradually became able to control cravings of my body and soul, fix the physical damages to the brain and psychological conflicts."

Traveler Keyhan

"I don't miss the fact that now when my lips move it is more than likely I am actually telling the truth."

Jane S

"That's what made me think of stopping my drug habits - My Blood pressure spiked at 200/110 last week during a Panic Attack."

Maria

"You can be a victim of your circumstances, or you can change."

Chantel

"2 and a half years was more than enough for my life to fall to pieces because of my addictions."

John

"It was after getting sober that I realized my drug use was so tied up with sex that I most likely had developed a sex addiction as well."

Anonymous

"Alcohol and drugs replaced everything in my life that I loved."

Wendy

"You know, you wake up in like a hospital, you wake up in rehab, and you search for answers. Why did I do this?"

Michelle

"When I hang out with my friends from rehab, I have fun because we're up, we're about, we're driving around, having fun."

James

"I do not believe that there are hopeless cases, just people who feel hopeless."

Anonymous

"It's never going to happen for someone like me, I thought."

Rosie

"The good thing is that addiction is not a disease which is handed down, father to son or mother to daughter. We are never doomed to repeat the actions of any family members. My brother has never abused a drug in his life, proving that we are never doomed "

Nikki

"You never have to surrender to addiction, and it’s never too late to ask for help."

Nikki

"There were days when I felt like I was losing the battle"

Anonymous

"I flashed back to all the good times, but they were not to be any more"

Anonymous

"I know these feelings intimately: fear, anger, guilt, panic, sadness, confusion, disbelief… and that only names a few."

Anonymous

"What feelings rise up in the hearts of parents when they discover that their beautiful, intelligent child is using drugs or drinking massive amounts of alcohol?"

Anonymous

"You wonder: if I don’t pay the bail, am I really a loving parent?"

Ron

"What I have learned is that recovery is a process that involves many things and numerous variables"

Ron

"I started crying out for help. And I started telling my sister I wanted to change."

Kathirena

"I was using all day long, I didn’t have any money and no place to stay."

Kathirena

"There’s always something new to trip us up"

Kathirena

"I feel good and I feel joy; I’ve learned to accept what I once was, and find hope in what I can become – which is a better person."

Kathirena

"I was driving west and the sun was in my face, and it just hit me. I knew I couldn’t keep living the way I was."

Lora

"I wanted to escape reality….I just wanted to be in oblivion"

Lora

"It’s the holidays and I just don’t want to be unhappy or make my loved one unhappy."

Anonymous

"Before my mother embraced treatment and recovery, I felt certain that her addiction and her way of life was going to kill her"

Melinda

"I wasn’t totally in control and I didn’t know what to expect. I made up my mind to do whatever I was told to do to make recovery work."

Adell

"because I didn’t know what else to do, or where else to go. I just knew that we needed help. I told my mother that I couldn’t help her, but I knew a place that could"

Melinda

"Acceptance is also a great tool. Accepting the addiction without judgment or supporting it is key"

John

"I have spent many sleepless nights and shed buckets of tears over my daughter’s disease and the devil that has her as a captive audience"

Carole

"Most of us live in two worlds: the world of what is and the world of ought to be. The world of ought to be continually puts us in a place where it is impossible to help our addict."

Rex

"I cannot relate to my addict’s pain and I cannot help myself."

David

"After a few years of repeated behaviors and strong reactions, no one got better. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong."

Roy

"In the end, the decisions lie with you and how you choose to internalize the learning"

Bob

"Real love is telling your child he cannot live in your home as he continue to use drugs"

Darren

"We’ve all done it. Seldom, if ever does it work. We make deals; we are willing to sell our soul, our dignity and our future to an addict in an effort to stop the madness."

Jill

"How do you negotiate with an addict that has no sense of justice or fair play? How can you negotiate with an addict that suffers from a disease that results in behaviors a sane person would deem insane?"

Jill

"I just could not let go of the expectations I always had for my beautiful boy, and took much of what he was doing personally"

Renee

"Why doesn’t he just stop using since it is ruining his life and making him unhappy? "

Renee

"Being a parent of an addict is about being more than you ever dreamed you could be. And most days it feels like you’re at war."

Gertrude

"You learn to love someone that, by all accounts, is un-loveable"

Gertrude

"Parents of addicts learn how to smile with friends and family. We need them for our own survival. We learn to allow them inside places that used to be only for us"

Gertrude

"It would be great if I could wave a magic wand and erase all those terrible memories. But I have had to live with them."

Alice

"Let me tell you that you can run to the ends of the earth and it will never be far enough to avoid yourself"

Alice

"Well, while everyone’s relapse is different to some extent, there are some fairly predictable dynamics that family members should be aware of"

Michael Pantalon, PhD

"It is very painful to have drug addiction take over the life of someone you love"

Gertrude

"Keep in mind that forgiveness is a journey. As we grow older we learn more about ourselves and our ability to heal."

Gertrude

"Waiting for someone to repent before we forgive is to surrender our future to the person who wronged us"

Lewis Smedes

"Remember to forgive yourself because you have the ability to and you are worthy of it"

Gertrude

"Forgiveness is for me. The sooner I understand, the faster I heal."

Ron

"Remember to say "I love you." That is a reassurance we ALL need."

Karen

"If you want to help your child quit, you need to understand why they use and help them find other ways of getting those needs met"

Maia

"Love and support from family help treatment, they do not hinder it."

Maia

"Those who have been hurt as a result of addiction have no reason to trust the addicted person."

Drew

"Good recovery allows you to remove only a few bricks each day. Over time, there will be a hole in the wall large enough to talk through without shouting."

Drew

"Adjusting to a sober life calls for patience and understanding"

Ben

"At some point after making a change, the demands of maintaining it seem to outweigh the benefits of the change. We don’t remember that this is normal. Change involves resistance. Reaching out to a supportive person can help clarify our thinking."

Stanley

"A wise man once told me that if I spent my life making only new mistakes, my life was truly a life of learning"

Roger

"It’s very complicated thing when you love your child with all your heart but you hate what they have become and what is happening to them right in front of your eyes"

Roger

"Wasted efforts and wasted time is the effort and time in which you learn nothing and in which you do not change yourself."

Roger

"They knew something was wrong and were asking probing questions about what was bothering me. “When they opened that door, I walked through it"

Seth

"It was analogous to someone who suffered head-trauma and has to relearn everything: For someone like me, I had lost the ability to function in everyday life"

Seth

"It helped me learn how to live with other people, and gave me the guidance I needed for a strong recovery program that I could live with for the rest of my life"

Seth

"Working with another addict gives me a chance to see myself"

Seth

"What was really killing me was that I thought I was the center of the universe, and that things only happened because I made them happen"

Seth

"As parents of loved ones with a drug or alcohol addiction, how many times did we blow right through the warning signs as if they weren’t even there? And, if there were parenting cops, how many charges would we be guilty of?"

Clarice

"My kid wouldn’t do that or go that far — he’s just having fun. You know, boys will be boys."

Clarice

"Understanding your readiness to change by being familiar with the six-stage model of change can help you choose treatments that are right for you."

Carlo

"Because alcoholism is a chronic disease, the possibility of relapse is always present. Individuals may experience a strong temptation to drink and fail to cope with it successfully"

Carlo

"All signs and symptoms of drug abuse. But did we see it? No."

Sanjay

"It’s important for teen drug and alcohol abusers to see others their own age who are full-blown addicts and hear the horrific stories of where their drugging and drinking took them"

Sanjay

"I had three reliable sources report that my son was known as a pot smoker, Ecstasy user, and a drinker."

Sanjay

"Children of any age in any family where addiction is present can present a unique challenge. Questions arise as to what, if and how much to tell children about the addiction"

Sally

"It took me a long time to learn that my anger was a result of me not being able to control my son’s addiction"

Ron

"“No Lying, No Stealing and No Drugs. JUST WHAT THE HELL IS SO HARD ABOUT THAT?!!”"

Ron

"Boundaries are healthy for you and those surrounding you. I cannot change my addict’s behavior by setting rules."

Ron

"I am angry that he is using drugs in my home, and I feel out of control and helpless."

Ron

"Setting good boundaries for yourself allows you, the loved one of an addict, to bring a measure of control and sanity into a truly insane situation."

Ron

"In that moment, I felt like I was wearing my own scarlet letter – that the “A” for addiction was emblazoned on my forehead and would be my mark to bear for as long as I lived"

Alex

"Simply put, some brains are chemically wired differently than others and are far more susceptible to drug abuse. "

Alex

"Giving in to my daughter Lauren, who had a spiraling addiction, was a recipe for disaster."

Sharon

"Only when addicted teens are faced with real consequences can they start to make a change."

Sharon

"One of the biggest barriers to patients getting help is the stigma of addiction."

Barry

"I get asked, ”Why would he do this to you?” “Why do you allow him to live this way?” I am perceived as a bad parent by many"

Colleen

"For me, sometimes the hardest part is the isolation. There are so few people with whom I can share my thoughts and feelings about this."

Manatee Mom

"I noticed something about being the parent of an addict. It is a very lonely thing. If my child had any other disease, the people in my life would be surrounding me with comfort and support. Because my son has the disease of addiction I am left to deal wi"

Carol-Ann

"I've had some bad combinations of being drunk, smoking weed, and acid, or being drunk, smoking week, and on ecstasy. Just anything with another drug is really bad. It has different effects on you. You never know what could happen to you."

Michelle

"I had to start saying to myself the reason I don’t use drugs is because I don’t want to not because I can’t stop once I start."

Anonymous

More Send us your Quotes

Tips & Hints

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Be Honest

You must be one-hundred percent completely honest with the people who are your supports: your family, your doctor, your therapist, the ...

Stress & Anger Management

Everyone will find their own methods of relieving their stress and frustrations, this could be by working it out at the gym and relaxin...

Self-Help Groups

Self-help groups are particularly beneficial to those who have already begun to recover from their addiction. Sharing knowledge, experi...

Think before

Before you reach for the food you are addicted to, think about how sick you will feel after you finally stop eating....

Be committed

If you get through one day without eating your addictive food, get through a second day. Once you are through the second day, ask yours...

Do more

Do more than you think you are going to need to do. This will help prevent relapses as you discover the power of your addiction....

Build momentum

A lot of people will tell you to think big, act small. Thinking about the big picture is important, but if we want to building momentum...

Reject perfection

We have a tendency to put things off endlessly, because we’re afraid of imperfections. This is pretty silly. If your dream is to beco...

Relapse

While not inevitable, relapse is common. It is important to work together to prevent it, because it can happen even in good times. If a...

Reinvent your routine

If you're used to dancing with saucer eyes most Saturdays then it might be wise to avoid clubbing for a while. It doesn't have to be fo...

Tell your friends

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Good Self Care

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Friendship network

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Acceptance

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Understand that, legality aside, alcohol and nicotine and even caffeine are 'drugs'

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