Experts Oppose Classifying Gaming Addiction As Mental Disorder

News.com reports that despite earlier rumblings that addiction to videogames could be classified a mental disorder similar to alcoholism, experts have stepped back from that analysis. The decision by the AMA is that psychiatrists should make further efforts to study the phenomenon, while addiction experts strongly opposed the idea at the organization's annual meeting. "Even before debate on the subject began, the committee that made the proposal backed away from its position, and instead recommended that the American Psychiatric Association consider the change when it revises its next diagnostic manual in 5 years. The psychiatrist group has said if the science warrants, it could be considered for inclusion in the next diagnostic manual, which will be published in 2012. While occasional use of video games is harmless and may even help with some disorders like autism, doctors said in extreme cases it can interfere with day-to-day necessities like working, showering or even eating."

Comments

Re:indeed

[Anonymous Coward]

no you are correct, addiction, REAL addiction, is something you pyshically cannot tolerate going without. eg herion which effects the receptors in the brain that are stimulated by opiates and causes you to become really sick when you withdraw their supply.

sex addiction, ALCOHOLISM and gambling are all habitual and can be broken as simply as moving away from the temptation or social issue that caused you to use it as a coping mechanism in the first place.

there is no chemical dependency with these habits.

i know first hand from my father that alcoholism is not a disease or an addiction, my mother got him to go to AA, doctors and other crack pots that tried to treat it like an addiction. In the end out of frustration with all the bullshit he just made the decision to stop drinking and he never went back. a true addiction would not have had that choice.

so, i suspect gaming addiction is right up there with "fat fuck living in mom's basement" addiction and "won't get a job that's not good enough for me" addiction.

Re:indeed

[FritzTheCat1030]

I'm sorry...there's no chemical dependency associated with alcoholism? You're dead wrong and you must not have been paying much attention in your father's case. Alcohol is one of the only (frequently abused) drugs where the physical withdrawl can actually KILL you.

Re:Eating ...

[GreyPoopon]

Catheters really fucking hurt!! Why they don't just seal a tube AROUND the penis, I'll never know.

I think somebody else already explained why the traditional catheter must be inserted into the bladder. However, what _you_ are looking for is called a "Texas Catheter" that fits somewhat like a condom. This would be a better solution for enabling video game addition.