Video Game Addiction: A Psychiatric Disorder?
Doctors Against Video Games (DAVG)
Some doctors are lobbying to give certain conditions a formal medical diagnosis — video game addiction. The American Medical Assn. is scheduled to debate such a proposal in Chicagoand vote on it early next week. Backed by the Maryland State Medical Society, the proposal advocates that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, considered by many psychiatrists to be the final word for assessing mental illness, include video game addiction. The proposal also would have doctors exhort parents to curb their children’s use of the Internet, television and video games to two hours a day.
Executives in the $30-billion game industry are already on the defensive. They say the measures are not supported by scientific evidence. “The American Medical Assn. is making premature conclusions without the benefit of complete and thorough data,” said Michael Gallagher, president of the Entertainment Software Assn., a trade group that represents video game publishers. Game industry representatives say that the games themselves may not be to blame, that the addiction may have other root causes such as an addictive personality or major life stressors.Who else is already practicing nationwide restrictions? It’s happenined in South Korea. In 2005, government officials there sent psychologists into Internet gaming cafes to warn players of addiction dangers after a man died of heart failure brought on by exhaustion and dehydration after a 50-hour binge playing “World of Warcraft.” Physicians in the U.S. are concerned about the exposure children have to media violence, particularly in a medium as engaging as games. They’re also alarmed by the growing popularity of risque fare such as “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” and “Manhunt 2.” The latter, which features a mentally ill patient on a killing spree, was recently banned for sale in Britain and Ireland.
Do you know anyone with the following symptoms:
Are you uninterested in anything else besides games?
Do you feel unable to control how much you play?
Are you often late for appointments because of your game play?
Are you having difficulty managing daily life?
Do you skip meals to play?
When you feel alone, do you use games to communicate with others?
