In recognition of threats posed by increasingly prevalent electronic devices, the bible for the psychiatric profession, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), will include internet-use disorder as a condition ”recommended for further study” in its revised edition, the DSM-V, which will be issued in May.
The inclusion classifies internet-use disorder alongside other mental disorders that need further research before becoming a recognised mental illness. It seems an overreaction until you hear about the Taiwanese teenager who collapsed and died at an Internet café last year after playing the online video game Diablo 3 for 40 hours straight. There are now special clinics in Asia and Sydney for those addicted to video gaming.
I believe that this is a massive issue and will need addressing . However it is not only a young persons problem. But given we are talking about young people I will stay on topic. Online gaming and the constant ease of accessibility to the internet (via pc , tablet phone cafe ,,you name it ) is impacting severely on young people. Working in a rural area , I am hearing more stories of young people “obsessed” with their Xbox or PS3 online gaming that it is having a significant impact on their lives.
People are having “virtual relationships” which can be harmful and dangerous to a young developing mind. Recent examples of the dangers of violent games have been on the radar due to the massacre in the USA where a young person killed people in a mode that has been described as “game like”.
As a new parent and a social worker in the field i still feel that parents and adults can have a much more valuable role to play in reducing the epidemic of internet addiction. I have seen kids who have this condition and the reality is that they have very little else in their life and are completely bored. 3 out of 4 of these kids are from broken homes but I do not condone that the internet act as a surrogate in this instance. I was disturbed to see the diffference between to young boys of same age (one who is a gamer , one who is not) and to look at the way they conduct themsleves with “real” people. I could go on and on but the relaity I see is that the internet addiction is stealing the young person’s capcity to cope in the “real world”.
This is a real problem and needs real solutions
Dear Dr Ramocha, Could you please tell me whereabouts of Sydney clinic suitable for 26 year old male, from a desperate parent!
Hi Fiona
despite your son’s age, i think that the best first point of call should be the experts at NIIRA, a reputable organisation set up by Dr Phillip Tam and a number of his colleagues to assist people in dealing with this growing problem go to http://www.niira.org.au
ramesh
If someone spends too much time on the internet/video games it is often due to other problems they are avoiding outside in the real world. Ofcourse ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away.
For example, the cat litter box needs changing. I could change the litter, and mop the floor, or I could play World of Warcraft.
if I choose the latter, I could easly forget about the problem. But at the end of the day when I stop playing WoW, no one has changed the cat litter, the cat has gone 3 more times and the original problem is worse, not better… Now lets say it’s the next day… I have the same choices as yesterday, only this time the litter box is worse than before. IE. The problem got worse. so playing a game to avoid my problem is an easier choice than yesterday.
Fast forward 6 months – I’m up to my armpits in catshit, but my Warcraft character is top of the server.
The short version is this…
Don’t attack addiction head on, you need to scrape back the symptoms and expose the real problems. I don’t know anyone who developed an addiction without some underlying problems/issues they are avoiding in their real lives.
Fix the problem and the symptoms will clear them selves up…
Find out what’s wrong in the persons life that makes them avoid living.
Helping someone with their addictions ONLY and not attempting to solve the problems that drive them to a life of avoidence will just cause the person to find new methods of escapism.
On the other hand if life is going well there is no need to escape it into another reality like a game world or a drug induced uphoria.