http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/21/health/main2965003.shtml
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The telltale signs are ominous: teens holing up in their rooms, ignoring friends, family, even food and a shower, while their grades plummet and belligerence soars.
The culprit isn't alcohol or drugs. It's video games, which for certain kids can be as powerfully addictive as heroin, some doctors contend.
A leading council of the nation's largest doctors' group wants to have this behavior officially classified as a psychiatric disorder, to raise awareness and enable sufferers to get insurance coverage for treatment.
There's another story where some parents almost let their kids DIE because they were playing some MMO. The excuse?
"I can't take care of my kids because of videogames. It's an addiction."
... I.. I just.
My mother spent whole NIGHTS up playing Space Invaders on the old Atari. She never like didn't FEED me or BATHE me. It's not an addiction, these people are just too LAZY to get off their mickeyd stuffed asses.
~Rico
Geeze.
FFS, this is just stupid.
I mean, I see what they're getting at, but a psychological disorder? Pfft. These people just need a good slap upside the head.
this is so effing stupid. im so sick and tired of them labelling everything...
if it wasnt video games it'd be something else. why not have "too much tv syndrome" or "workaholics syndrome"??
i know, lets make it illegal to play video games under age 18 and to own a tv you must have a lazy-a** licence. and then slap warning labels on everything, stuff like "WARNING: you might like this game alot, so IF you just so happen to miss a meal or two because of it, or if you dont go on a job interview because you were playing it.. DONT SUE US!"
as if they dont have enough pointless and stupid warning "covering our butts"-type labels on things.
:/
and of course they will probly come up with some pill that you must take for it.
aghh i could go on and on about it..
Didn't the AMA recently discuss this at their convention and decide that while video game addiction could be dangerous, it wasn't a pathology. If memory serves, they said it's the problem with all enjoyable things, and not a disease.
It can be a real problem. I had a roommate in college who stopped going to classes and talking to friends. He just played World of Warcraft nonstop. I'm not saying he was sick. He just needed someone to take his computer away for a while so he could see what a recluse he turned into.
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lets make it illegal to play video games under age 18 and to own a tv you must have a lazy-a** licence
You need a TV licence in the UK. Only it's more for funding the BBC than to stop people getting TVs.
Yes yes i've heard of this. I suppose if people really are that into a game to not sleep, eat, etc for days straight then something is seriously wrong...
They've made it to the last boss on Golden Sun and weren't quite leveled high enough, obviously. =P
Although on a more serious note, what Srol said. All enjoyable things can have this effect. It's not even so much laziness, just pleasure and not wanting it to end, I guess. Come diagnose me doc...i'm a gaming freak. And proud of it!
*facepalms X over 9,000*
Just....seriously.
This is an old article btw. As for what I have to say: rather then take the blame where it needs to be, people blame it on something else (video games) and want to call it a disorder to further shift the blame on something other then themselves when something gets f***ed up bad.
I dunno, HS2003... Golden Sun is so absolutely awesome it'd be a crime if a person WASN'T addicted to it 
Don't care if it's old or not, the media is full of baloney.
It's just an excuse to scare parents and take games away from their kids. :<
*looks at article and laughs* wow.. "multi level games that arent meant to be won"?? i think its called a challenging game.
i just think its dumb they compare it to drugs and gambling..yea its not good but i think an alcoholic does more damage than a lazy person..
a freind's parents once stopped her from using the internet for a few days, then limited it to an hour or so per day because they were worried that she was getting 'addicted' to it.
the fact that her parents spent more time online then she did seemed not to be taken into consideration. >>;
it's the blame culture again.. nothing can be your fault, it's the fault of the gametvmusic etcetc. ^^ sure, i've wasted entire weeks of my life now to gaming, but how is that differant to those who slob out watching TV all day?
..i thought sulking in your bedroom was a normal part of teenage development, anyway. 
When a child gets addicted to the point he'd neglect eating I think it's about time the parents would wake up and slap some sense into them.
Actually, these measures should be taken BEFORE it gets to this point.
Forbidding them from playing/using the internet is a start.
But if it's an adult who has these problems.. well, perhaps they do need help...
Bakker already has treated 20 video game addicts, aged 13 to 30, since January. Some show withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking and sweating, when they look at a computer.
One, I don't believe that any percent less than 99% of people would er come CLOSE to that.
Two, yeah, I get pretty pissed when I'm deliberately kept from my computer. I'm not an internet addict per se, I just find my nightly RP to be a fun, constructive, relaxing, and even educational experience, and no matter WHAT someone does for fun, if you suddenly force them away from it, they tend to get anxious, nervous, or even angry. It's just that instead of this activity being light work, or excersize, or sports, it's technology, and this is posted to scare aging parents or grandparents who don't understand new tech, and thus, don't trust it as much as something they did as a kid, like sports, or whatever.
And people say FOX is bad. I've never seen them talk about video gaming as a medical condition, just in terms of what level of Hell your child is sending himself to.
And c'mon, even in children that are left alone with games/internet/computers/etc for long periods of time, wihtout a parent there to tell them to eat, I find it hard to believe that the average kid - or even most of the more wierd ones- are starving to the point of being harmful. I know for a FACT it's nto directly correlated, because I've been in that situation myself, several times, at ages ranging from six to sixteen, for days, or even weeks, and while I have skipped meals if I was doing something really engaging, or didn't want my focus broken, I've never skipped them forever - I just get too hungry, and I know that if I pass a certain point, I'll lose my focus on hunger anyway, and then the point is moot.
Then again, there IS obviously something wrong with these kids, but I don't think a technology disorder is it, I think if anything, it could be some other kind of disorder, just focused at technology in a specific case.
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However, unlike other addicts, most gamers received their first game from their parents. "Because it's so new, parents don't see that this is something that can be dangerous," Bakker said.
The thing that I see wrong about this is that parents know they're giving the kids the games. They're just not monitoring the amount of time kids spend with their eyes glued to them.
I say unless that kid has been taught to have enough common sense and is doing excellently in school, they could probably spend a limited amount of time playing games. Although personally, my mom never let me (or my older brother or sister, for that matter) play video games growing up. I didn't start playing them until I was about 12-13 years old.
Then again, I only play games because I've got an older brother who's a gamer.
I admit, I spend a lot of my free time on the internet and playing games, and I hate being interrupted while playing my sister's PSP, but at least I've got enough sense (most of the time; there are few days where I stay up late playing games, but that's just on weekends) to put down the controller and find something else to do.
Like reading a book.
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and no matter WHAT someone does for fun, if you suddenly force them away from it, they tend to get anxious, nervous, or even angry
Agreed. As for this, there's a few perfectly existent disorders that come to mind. OCD being a big one. TRhere's medicines for that. Instead of trying to blame the games and create a new syndrome for this (I swear Jack Thompson is linked to this somehow), why not look at these extreme cases' patients and have a gander at their overall psychological health?
You're all horribly offended that they're allowing video game addiction to be recognised as an actual addiction and will give rehabilitation therapy on insurance?
...guys... don't be swayed by over reacting fear mongering news reports. Look for the facts. It's a GOOD thing.
Hell, I'll be the first to admit that my mix of gaming obsession and OCD has prevented me from eating and sleeping on many occasions, when I was playing certain games on the DS and have it with me at work I'd be compelled to steal a few minutes of gameplay every time I was away from desk.
It's a comfort to know that if I let that get out of control I'd be able to seek help and have the health service treat me seriously with an actual psychological condition rather than saying that I could quit whenever I want.
Given the amount of people who have died through gaming addiction (and trust me, it's an addiction if you die slumped over a keyboard on your 58th hour of Evercrack), why be so cruel as to shout hatred and tagging when we all know that not a single one of us are part of the category it's intended for.
Worst case scenario, a over concerned parent drags little Billy into a psychitrist's office and they tell the parents that he's a healthy little boy and to call back when he becomes ill due to his inability to go AFK for more than 5 minutes.
No, worst case scenario is some otherwise innocent, healthy gamer, suddenly gets attacked by scared s**tless moronic parents, and forced off all computers ever. Unlike a simple trip to a pshrink, that could have an effect on someone, as would any sudden, drastic change in one's lifestyle. Some people are actually very sensitive to changes in behaviour or hobbies, and it is totally believable that such individuals, who are clinically healthy, could turn into depression or Ludditisim. Of course, that example gets moer and more "what-if" as it goes on, but still. I know if Dad saw this, and thank God he has some degree of intelligence, but if he suddenly banned me from computers, internet, whatever, I'd be pretty lost.
Probably not healthy o be in that state to begin with, but there you are.
Wait, wait...
You're saying that because it's an officially recognised condition the chances of a parent trying to force their kids off of videogames have spiked?
What the hell are you on? That ship sailed ages ago. People dying in MMRPG's isn't even newsworthy anymore.
Trust me, if a parent had a reason to do that to their kid they'd have had an excuse long before they could wiki "videogame addiction" and get a detailed list on the symptoms of a person who is actually dangerously addicted.
Infact, I'll go as far to say that that information would probably prevent hypothetical paranoid parent.
I fear gamers are just so afraid of the news speaking out against them that they get on the defensive without even reading the story.
Which is fair enough, because the news teams seem to go on the offensive before even knowing what they're reporting.
Stale mate of two factions who seemingly despise one another.
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Didn't the AMA recently discuss this at their convention and decide that while video game addiction could be dangerous, it wasn't a pathology. If memory serves, they said it's the problem with all enjoyable things, and not a disease.
Did any of you even read what Srol posted. They did indeed say it wasn't an addiction, probably because they knew that even if they thought that, their own kids would raise cain if they gave it validity. Anyway, if you notice the original article is old, and the AMA or whatever the lousy medical association is named did not verify it.
Yes Craig, because we all know that psychologists aren't in it to make money so they wouldn't prescribe pills unless they HAD to.
I remember the SECOND I mentioned depression to my shrink oh so long ago he'd shoved pills in my hand before I finished the sentence. :p
~Tobe
Doctors, like all human beings, differ on how to approach things. I can't go into specifics, and if you want them, you can IM me, but in college I was very close to someone who had some psychological conditions and was on a variety of medications. While I knew this person, I began to receive counseling myself, and when I described to my therapist the medication this person received, my counselor shook her head and ranted on how she can't stand pill-pushers.
Still; you know the answer to psychological conditions is MOAR MEDS these days, and medicine is NOT what you need to throw at a video game.
I know Srol, in fact I know a shrink that will only prescribe medication as an absolute last resort. Unfortunately people like him are in the minority.
I still think prescribing mind altering drugs to people under 18 should be a crime with the penalty of 'IRL BANTOWN'.
~Rico
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I still think prescribing mind altering drugs to people under 18 should be a crime with the penalty of 'IRL BANTOWN'.
Couldn't agree with you more.
yeah, I thank jebus for good Shrinks. They're the reason my cousin isn't on some weird pills.
~Rico
yea.. i hate how the solution to everything seems to be "take these pills".
i have autism and depression, but i take no pills. and im fine with it. yea it gets scary sometimes, but i think its worth it to be different and be able to feel these extreme emotions and think these thoughts instead of being a zombie. :/
i mean theres a certain point where they are useful but i dont believe in drugging up every kid with a slight problem.
what happened to the good old days when the mothers would just say "why dont you go outside or something?"
Of course people sometimes have a tendency to get hooked on things that they find to be fun; it's just human nature. Just because people find something to be fun and do it often doesn't constitute a problem. The problem would be with the people themselves; people need to learn to take responsibility for themselves, and prioritize things in their lives, and control their urges instead of trying to find something else to blame in order to deflect said responsibility.
Funny how the first page is full of people who are annoyed that they're grouping all gamers on a stereotype and that they just enjoy games blah blah blah.
Then it's a bunch of people more or less saying all psychitrists fit the stereotype of pill pusher.
Meanwhile, on the psychitrist website they're indignant about the gamers calling them pill pushers, yet discuss how crazy soccer moms are.
The soccer moms catch wind of this and ramble about their ungrateful children.
Ungrateful children hear because crazy soccer mom screams her words as she types, he buys a Linkin Park CD to heal his wounds and rants that all My Chemical Romance fans are cheap winny emo whingebags.
Said whinge bags then send Jay and Silent Bob to kid's house and have them punch him in the stomach and fart in his face.
Dick Cheeny blames videogames.
Cycle begins again.
For the record, my first post was pointing out that the AMA has specifically not made video game addiction a pathology, but stated that it is a concern (which in my book is the exact right path to go), and my second post was specifically pointing out that all therapists aren't pill pushers.
My sister has this fungus on her fingernail and they just put her on some pills.
'a concern'? How is it any more concerning than someone who reads a lot, or someone who watches TV a lot, or someone who...does ANYTHING a lot?
If you do anything to the point where you neglect your social life and bodily functions, then yes, of course it is a concern.
...but I neglect my social life all the time. o.o
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You need a TV licence in the UK. Only it's more for funding the BBC than to stop people getting TVs.
Not actually right. You can own a television set without a licence, you just can't connect it to an aerial.
I don't know why I'm defending myself against fluffylocks there but my first post's main point was suppose to be how it seems noone will take the blame for things they do anymore.
I don't mind being lumped in with all video gamers. But I don't know very many people that advocate pilling up little kids, aside from 'pill pushers'.
And it is funny, Craig. But now we have to add people stereotyping people to stereotype to the cycle. :p
~Rico
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I don't know why I'm defending myself against fluffylocks there but my first post's main point was suppose to be how it seems noone will take the blame for things they do anymore.
AKA, personal responsibility. It seems to be missing from the current generation of young adults/teens.
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Not actually right. You can own a television set without a licence, you just can't connect it to an aerial.
we got threatened once that to even have a TV in the house you needed a license, just in case you accidently connected it to the aerial. (or some-such silly excuse, i can't remember the exact wording)
So if you go out to the local electronics store and buy a TV, they ask to see a licence?
Here, you can just go, buy a TV, etc, and if you don't have cable, you can still put DVD players and such on it.
No, BBC have vans which patrol the streets and check houses without licenses to see if they're recieving signal or not. Or using cable/satellite.
If they're using ariel, cable or satellite without license, they fine you.
So what Becca said isn't typical? Alright, that's what I thought at first.
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No, BBC have vans which patrol the streets and check houses without licenses to see if they're recieving signal or not. Or using cable/satellite.
thats....creepy. :/
Well if such a thing as this disorder exists, I definetly don't have it. Moving off to college Thursday and I asked my mom if I was taking me TV or not. She says I won't have much time to watch TV and stuff. I say yea I don't plan on watching TV- *pause*. Then she says oh well what were you going to do with it? Play video games? Because I already told you, you can't take your Wii and stuff down there. Ok at the point if I had this disorder I would've either A. Kicked my mother, B. Cried[which I did do but not in front of her...in the safety of my own room =P] C. Destroyed the Earth. or D. Agreed to it but still snuck my systems down there. Just so you know...neither of those happened. >_> So i'm taking like every GC and PS2 game down there with me becuase I know people there that have those systems...still sucks I won't be able to play my systems whenever I want though. And I thought college was going to rock, gaming whenever and schick. My mom still has dominion over me an hour and a half away. =/
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So what Becca said isn't typical?
it's not typical, no. i just stated with what i was once threatened with while in a university building.. i think they had problems then figuring out which rooms were connected.
what craig said is the usual way they go about things.
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No, BBC have vans which patrol the streets and check houses without licenses to see if they're recieving signal or not. Or using cable/satellite.
From what i've seen and read, no one in the uk has ever been prosecuted based upon the evidence alone of a signal van detector. If they came up to your door and asked if you have a tv you can close the door on them, they have no right to enter your house (without a warrant) to see if you have a tv set up to receive signals.
And for so called detector vans, they just send out letters to all addresses that don't have a registered license against them, it's all automated and run by Capita (the same group that run the congestion charging scheme in London).
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it's not typical, no. i just stated with what i was once threatened with while in a university building.. i think they had problems then figuring out which rooms were connected.
When they start sending letters to you in order to bully people into getting a license (even though you might not have a television capable of receiving signals) it's harassment, as such you can phoenix wright on them.
Also if you have a tv that has self contained batteries you will not require the need to have a tv license.
*attempting to decipher DPG's post*
So your mom is threatenning to punish you...from home while you're in college?
Hahaha yea man, like...she's not letting me take my consoles to Alabama. Is that madness or is that Sparta...wait...what? lol
Take them anyway. o.o
....Maybe in your family dude.
