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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."
My psychopathology is a bit rusty, but won't the DSM IV already diagnose gaming addiction under another classification? Probably a compulsive addiction I guess. Do we really need a special diagnosis for gaming addiction?
to compulsively play videogames is a habituation, not an addiction
it would be misleading to the point of propaganda to lump videogames and heroin under the same umbrella "addiction". something like heroin actually manipulates the biochemical pathways of reward in the brain. videogames can be extremely pleasurable and habit forming. but to think about how videogames are habit forming with the same terminology as how heroin or cocaine or methamphetamine manipulates your brain chemistry directly is extremely misleading
likewise, i would say a number of other "addictions" are really just trendy bullshit terms in order to decrease the stigma attached to being weak in character. such as "sex addiction" or "gambling addiction"
no: something that manipulates biochemical pathways directly is addiction, something that works on reward pathways via psychological stimulus is habituation
if a psychology wonk begs to differ with my terminology, fine. i may have the exact meaning of the words wrong
but everyone from the casual layman to the hardcore professional needs to understand that something that acts on the brain directly via biochemical manipulation needs another word to describe what it does that a habit forming activity that sucks you in via simple sensory stimulus. there's a simple bifurcation of meaning here that needs to be addressed if indeed my terminology is wrong
there are certainly highs and lows with both habituation/ addiction, and there are plenty of similarities, but the terminology should be different, to address how these habits form
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
The summary talks about comparison with alcoholism, not gambling. Games and Gambling may actually be similar but neither is the same as being addicted to alcohol, heroin or tobacco.
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The affliction is called 'addiction' and can be caused by or fixated on any number of things. There is absolutely no reason for yet another flavor of addiction to be spelled out.
This does remind me of a funny thing I read years ago. It was an article about Internet addction written by a psych professor. The punch line was the link to the online support group. Online support group...for Internet addicts. Isn't that like having an AA meeting at a keg party?
Alcohol isn't addictive by itself. Not everyone who touches it get addicted.
In fact, most 'addictive' drugs can have the same thing said about them. You have to abuse them before you get 'addicted'.
Gaming can also drain someone's bank account. You talk about 'gaming addiction' as if it only applies to World of Warcraft, and the only costs are the $15/month. You completely forget the entire gaming hardware race, and the cost of consoles and other games. And it's not as if you could just drain the account once and be done, no. There are new games released constantly. More than enough to keep someone broke, especially if they've already lost their job to the addiction.
I admit it. I'm addicted to gaming. There's nothing I'd rather be doing. When I can manage to do -nothing- else but play a game, preferably a new exciting one, I'll do it. This means not showering some days, eating quick unhealthy meals, and occasionally skipping work because I just -have- to play that new game.
Do I think I need help? No. I don't even -want- it classified as a disorder that the government will help with. Normal obsessive-compulsive disorder probably covers this well enough anyhow, for those that take it far enough to warrant help.
But don't dismiss this problem simply because you don't have it yourself. And don't make fun of it, either.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
Actually, my wife is, interestingly enough, a psychologist. The main reason that they've taken to adding so many disorders to the DSM is not that they've found new ones per se but that they have found that within certain disorders, like the autistic spectrum of diseases, that there are many more subtypes. At one point, anyone with a pervasive development (autistic-like) disorder was slapped with the label of 'autism'. Now they have identified specific types of autism, everything from 'classic' autism to Asperger's to multiple-complex developmental disorder.
As for video game addiction, my wife happens to also be a specialist in addiction studies and she was actually one of the first people to write about video game addiction as a disorder back in the late 80s/early 90s. It was not widely-accepted at that point that video game playing could be addictive -- but now that it's becoming generally-accepted to be so, she's feeling vindicated.
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There are actual physical changes involved with alcohol addiction. In extreme cases sudden withdrawal can even lead to death.
Still, some time in the past we went from requiring these physiological dependencies for a diagnosis of 'addiction' to mere abuse. Mental addictions, if you will.
This is how gambling became to be known as something you could become addicted to. Yes, they can spot changes in brain patterns when a person is gambling, but there's no neurochemicals being introduced or interfered with like with a drug interaction.
These addictions have been found for many things such as gambling, shoes, clothing, porn, soap operas, internet, internet chatting, and now video games.
Given the similarities that I've seen between many of these, I wonder if they're not just different manifestations of the same syndrome. Many people would have it, it's just that intervention is much more necessary when it's otherwise ruining the life of the person and his/her family. Being 'addicted' to gambling is much more hazardous, for example, than being obsessive about the 'days of our lives' soap. One can waste money in pretty much unlimited amounts, causing the loss of a home; the other can be controlled, more or less, simply by the purchase of a VCR or Tivo, or even season DVDs. I'd estimate a few thousand dollars; still far less than many hobbies such as motorcycle riding, boats, hot cars, etc...
I don't read AC A human right
My girlfriend's 12 year old son is an addict... Well, at least according to the story.
You are absolutely right though, you can't just let the addition tag get slapped on, and ignore him. He can play games in moderation. We've caught him sneaking games. Like, he'll go to bed, but not be asleep. When he's confident that we're asleep, he'll start playing his games again. We've found him at 4am or later playing... The "cure"? I took the video cable from his monitor. He doesn't have a spare. He can play in reasonable amounts.
Oddly enough, he does exhibit some traits of addiction that I've seen in drug addicts. His withdrawal (emotional, not physical, obviously) is very similar. I'm not an addiction expert, I've just dealt with more than enough druggies over the years.
I think by recognizing that it is an addiction, clueless parents will now know (hopefully) that "oh, he's quiet, he's playing his video games STILL" is not always a good thing, especially when STILL is 5 days of no sleep, no showering, and maybe (just maybe) stopping long enough to grab some microwave food and go back to the game.
Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
Wait, where did I say that someone, or something, else is to blame? I merely stated that there is nothing I'd rather be doing.
For some people, they'd rather be fishing, or racing, or whatever. I prefer to play video games, and I admit I spend more time and money on it than I really should. I -can- put it down any time I want, but I don't -want- to. When I don't have a good game to play, I'm not as happy, and I get 'bored.' (That's a word meaning I don't want to do anything, since there is -always- something that needs doing.)
Yes, in drug addictions, the withdrawal symptoms are much worse, and can be fatal. But withdrawal is withdrawal, and like any decent addiction, if I manage to stop for a while, and go back, I'm hooked as hard as before.
As I stated before, I don't think this addiction is severe enough to warrant government help, if based on gaming addiction. If you base it on the fact that some people do it to the detriment of themselves and others, that needs to be taken care of, whether it's drugs, gambling, or gaming.
I have obsessive-compulsive tendencies in all aspects of my life. I often find myself unable to say things unless said in a certain way, and I find myself unable to leave a job done 'well enough', when I could do it 'right'. And I tend to over-indulge in anything I enjoy, especially gaming. There's a very fine line between perfectionism and OCD, and I can see it from where I'm standing.
That's how I can call it an addiction.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual -- the DSM -- isn't really about deciding a course of treatment as much as it is about cataloging and classifying different disorders, which makes it easier to diagnose what the problem is. How to treat it is a totally separate thing and treatment of psychological disorders is often up to the mental health professional in question.
Anyway, most OC disorders are treated in much the same way. Addictions are actually treated in a different way, but there is some overlap between OCD and addiction treatments. Alcoholism is listed as a disorder in the DSM. It would be more likely that video game addiction would be listed along with alcoholism and other related addiction disorders rather than with OCD. But there are OC elements in addiction, so some treatments for OCD patients are often applied to those with addictions, including interventions, rehabilitation such as that used for drugs, and sometimes even aversion therapy. Group therapy is often involved, as is some type of 12-step program, similar to alcoholics anonymous (AA) or narcotics anonymous (NA).
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I was thinking along the same line. What we used to call a hobby is now an addiction?
So, I was addicted to surfing? I surfed almost every day from age 8 to 53, spent a lot of money on the sport over the years for the latest design in surfboards, wet-suits etc and hear I thought all the time I was being close to nature, staying fit, meeting and interacting with other people. What a wasted life, huh?
Kudos to the AMA though, god knows they need it.
Oh, been living in the central US for the last nine years and have managed to survive, a wave hasn't broken here in about 70 million years, but I'm on my way back to the ocean in a few months where I will resume my addiction.
I got addicted (or call it whatever you want) to EQ... I was absolutely in a depressive state due to a variety of factors (I take care of my Dad and have spent my entire 20s basically stuck in/around the house with him, dated four girls over the course of that 10 year span(two of which went out of their way to mentally abuse me further), had to quit college to take care of my dad, was stuck in the same crappy job with no ability to get something else that was compatible with my situation, etc). To top it off, I have something called Avoidant Personality Disorder, which is a type of social anxiety disorder that basically manifests itself with me avoiding to do things, rather than do them and face "certain" rejection.
I started EQ just to play with my best friend here and there... after a couple months, I was approached about being an officer in my guild and shortly thereafter, became a raid leader. At that point, I had a dedication to the game and my guild... to top it off, I was completely accepted and thus didn't have to worry about facing the rejection of my peers. The game was a reality (though separate, I never confused the game and real life) for me that allowed me to relax and not be on guard all the time. Soon, I ended up as the guild leader and another officer and I split raid leadership duties. However, as guild leader and co-raid leader, I felt an even larger obligation to be on and helping out. That avoidant part inside me didn't want to let someone down or they might get mad at me (and thus, reject me). Factor in a regular series of personal accomplishments, group accomplishments, raid accomplishments and guild accomplishments and I was getting a regular high from the game.
I ended up playing between 8-14 hours a day and if I wasn't at work or sleeping, I was at least nearby in case something came up that needed my attention. Eventually, I started burning out and felt a need to leave the game because I knew it was taking a negative toll on my life. I couldn't quit, however, because my (then) gf and I had met in the game and we were living on separate coasts so the game was our way of spending time together every day in between flying back and forth. Not long after that, my co-raid leader realized he was in a similar situation to me and wanted to start a family so he quit. When he did, that increased my burden even more. I had to be on all the time, I had to schedule my life around a 3 night/week raid schedule (plus an "optional" 4th night for people wanting to work on their epics... I say optional because it was optional for everyone but me basically. The few times I didn't attend, I was begged and nagged, sometimes for up to a week prior to make sure I was there to help someone in particular out). Along the way, my gf and I broke up (she had a lot of mental problems herself... she left me for another one of our officers, switched servers and joined a hardcore raid guild where it was 6 nights a week mandatory and basically ignored her 4 year old daughter for the next year). With that, my main reason for staying was essentially gone but I still felt an obligation to everyone and was still enjoying the highs from my accomplishments. A few months later, my gf and I got back together and eventually she moved back to my server... at which point, her drama began all over again).
My officers hated my gf for what she had done to us, and especially me, over the course of the prior year... Our biggest problem as a guild was that the hardcore guilds would burn their people out and then proceed to bribe my guild members to leave so they (the hardcores) could sustain their pace rather than looking at self-sustainability. I had a fallout with the officers one night over yet another person leaving over a bribe after getting the last of what he wanted from us. They blamed me when in reality, he was just out to use us. After much fighting over it, I left the guild with my gf and we set out to start a new guild that wouldn't
Don't leave your mind so open that your brain falls out. Don't close it so much that you cut off the blood.
In fact, I'd have to say the only difference between a good MMORPG like World of Warcraft and the corporate ladder climbers is that in WoW you have better defined goals that can be reasonably achieved. I think the only reason people want to classify this type of gaming as an addiction is that it is potentially replacing the corporate rat race as gaming is not considered "productive", while corporate slogging is.
If anything both types of behaviors should be studied as they have similar social motivators and consequences.
It goes back further than the situation with my dad... even back in high school, I would avoid asking girls out and whatnot because of the fear of rejection. In college, I generally avoided parties and whatnot unless I knew people who were going to be there and then I'd pretty much strictly stick around the people that I knew. I often subconsciously test people to see if they're really trustworthy before I'll really consider attempting to have a friendship with them. I can trace the first manifestation all the way back to the 3rd grade so it really was present before the situation with my dad. That said, the situation I'm in definitely has forced me to withdraw more and in the process, made it even harder to try to do something different. The extent that the women in two of my relationships have went out of their way to do things to hurt me (and I'd call cheating on me with my "friends" deliberately trying to hurt me) has made my innate fear of approaching a woman even greater. Add in that I've been unemployed for the last 8 months (I got sick of constantly being put down at work not to mention only getting 2 raises in 10 years and having my vacation time taken away because they knew that I was stuck there) and my financial situation has languished to the point where I don't feel worthy of even trying to find someone anymore (though, not being constantly put down has made me feel better about myself).
Oh, and as typical for advoidant types, I haven't been to a shrink for formal diagnosis (I'm a hunter and the last thing I want to do is lose my right to own a gun when they catch wind about me having been depressed before, I don't trust psychologists and believe they have more of a motive to keep you where you are than to truly try to cure you, I don't want to be put on medications after seeing what they've done to friends, etc). I've done a ton of study since first hearing about AvPD and I finally feel like something describes me perfectly rather than just bits and pieces from other things. I've also prescribed myself a bit of a treatment plan but unlike a fear of heights, it's harder to plan a route of exposure therapy/desensitization since it is a dynamic, rather than a static fear. I do try to do other things like positive reinforcement, keeping a journal of things that I want to avoid so I can rationalize why I shouldn't once I'm out of the situation, etc... It has helped some but ultimately, I'm constrained by my situation. I've also tried to spend some of my time off fixing up stuff around the house (though I lack the funds to do the major stuff I want to do) and that has helped me feel like I'm making some kind of progress too. Ultimately, nagging at me, though, is the likelihood that I'll probably never meet anyone, have a family of my own, etc and that just puts more pressure on me to not screw up when I find someone I'd like to get to know better (meaning that I'm more likely to avoid talking to her all together so I don't have another catastrophic failure).
Don't leave your mind so open that your brain falls out. Don't close it so much that you cut off the blood.
"The more time kids spend on video games, the less time they will have socializing, the less time they will have with their families, the less time they will have exercising," Kraus said. "They can make up academic deficits, but they can't make up the social ones."
Playing a MMORPG can be incredibly social. In fact, one of the reasons that I felt that WoW was so fun. Compared with SWG, WoW seemed to push players to group up to achieve high end content. So I guilded with one of the high-end raiding guilds on my server (not pvp) and learned to play (I didn't have much else to do IRL as I was on medical leave from work. I was well enough to sit at a desk for 3 hours a night and hated tv so a buddy suggested WoW.) At any rate, I made all kinds of game friends, acquaintences, non-fans, romantic interests, etc.
My guild eventually became very competative, kicking people out that didn't meet standards and not letting anyone in--not something I really cared so much for. I did care for playing and progress--not the rewards. I was sick of raiding Onyxia and MC over and over though--boring. We were the only guild of two on the server that could kill that dragon that turned mages into farm animals at the time. (sry, my memory sucks so i can't remember its name, it was long ago.) So I stayed with them to see more content as it opened up.
I was very careful to try to keep all RL details out of the game because of a minor incident in SWG with a pervert. Eventually, though in WoW I gave in and began using teamspeak, on the huge raids. I realized this would give away my gender for sure. I figured I could deal with that, and I did. Using TS made the raids so much easier. My guild main was a rogue with most of the best non-pvp gear you could get at that time. (If you flame me here, accusing me of bragging about having a well geared rogue on a non pvp server then get a life. any WoW person knows its not hard to do this.) The only way to make playing her less boring was to find strategies to out DPS other rogues involving talking to the team. My point is I wasn't thinking that logging into the guild's TS server probably gave away more RL information than I understand because I haven't kept up with network tech. I know these details seem mundane but be patient, I have a point coming soon.
So, I was playing WoW and being very social with these people ingame. I mentioned my main was a rogue. Well everyone had a rogue, so I had some free time in game. Therefore I just sometimes hung out with some friends and did silly things like naked gnome races, the ever popular griefing of the major Horde and Alliance cities by sneaking into them, and trying to find fashion in WoW--something SWG had that WoW didn't. I made alts that made friends with characters that couldn't stand my main trying to figure out why they didn't like her. A good friend IRL that played on the server and I organized a server wide skinny-dip of Alliance NE's in Horde waters. The point is my player and many others were very very social. Many people opened up to me about in private chat about RL stuff that I really think proves this.
WoW became for me a social community just like the sports bar I'd go to with the new hires for the first year every Friday for happy hour. It was similar to the anime club I joined in college where we'd hang out once a week to watch new films and make new friends. The diversity of the community, the guild I was in and the other guilds even reminded me a lot of college intermurals mixed with the after game hanging out socialization at 24-hour diners. (There were no Starbucks when/where I was in college yet, we had nasty coffee.)
Then my social community disappeared fo
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