Gaming disorder poses challenge for docs

Mohit Khanna 

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 19

Psychiatrists here at the PGI have welcomed the move of World Health Organisation (WHO) for including gaming disorder in the list of International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

Doctors at the PGI admitted that people suffering from gaming addiction are visiting the medical institute for treatment. WHO had on Monday officially recognised compulsively playing video games as a new mental health condition.

Sandeep Grover, a Professor of Psychiatry, PGI, said, “The number of patients who are addicted to mobile and internet gaming has increased.” Gaming had reached the level of addiction due to its easy availability, he added.

“Convenience of gaming has also contributed to its addiction. One can login to play these anywhere, any time, directly from their mobile devices. What starts as a pastime soon turns into addiction,” observed Prof Grover.

Dr D Basu, another Professor of Psychiatry, PGI, who deals with addiction, said, “Besides drug addiction, gaming addiction is turning out to be a new challenge for us. Though a majority of children and youngsters have been found out to be hooked to gaming, but there was no dearth of middle-aged people grappling with the gaming menace.”

Dr AK Sadana, a psychiatrist with the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, said besides video games, an increasing number of people were getting addicted to mobile gambling.

“A few days ago, I had attended a patient who was addicted to playing card games on mobile phone and even lost money on online card game,” said Sadana.

The experts maintained that gaming addiction is leading to social disconnect. The behaviour of addicts turns abnormal and aggressive. Their health and personal hygiene also takes a hit.

“It has been found out that addicts even wake up in the middle of the night just to earn points or to excel to another level. The gaming addicts have also created their groups and award the players who earn the maximum points. There have been cases where the addicts formed groups just to let down an opponent,” said Dr Rajiv Gupta, a Ludhiana-based psychiatrist.

Adarsh Kohli, a Psychologist at the PGI, said, “Many children coming to the clinic have gaming addiction. Fortunately, mostly the parents report about it.” “The addicts have clear-cut withdrawal symptoms if they were taken away from it. The remedy is to gradually reduce the time of the game and dealing with loneliness, insecurities and relationship issues.”

A modern media menace

• A man in China lost sensation from the waist down after playing video games continuously for some 20 hours at an internet café in January earlier this year. The gamer allegedly started playing the game from the evening of January 27 until his friends called for an ambulance in the afternoon of January 28.
• In October 2017, a 21- year- old Chinese woman lost vision in one eye as she kept playing video game on her mother’s mobile phone.
• A survey conducted in South Korea in 2016 observed that one in ten Korean teenagers were addicted. So much so that it was described as national crisis. There was an incident where one gamer stabbed his sister after playing violent games, while in another a teenager killed one and injured seven others.
• In 2011, a Chinese man died after a three-day online gaming session in which he did not sleep and barely ate. 

Treatment options

In China, Japan and South Korea all have explored government programmes to help detox young men and women from internet use, particularly video games. In the US, there are some private treatment facilities that deal with gaming addiction, and interest in the issue is growing amid a broader discussion about more general problematic technology use.

Experts find dopamine link

All experts maintained that playing video games or mobile games increases a player’s dopamine levels. Dopamine is a brain chemical responsible for controlling emotions and feelings of pleasure. The addict loses track of time and continues playing.