Rehab for Gamers?

Should there be a Rehab for Gamers?

  • Yes

    Points: 11 31.4%

  • No

    Points: 24 68.6%
  • Total voters
    35
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Noise

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FALL CITY, Wash. — Ben Alexander spent nearly every waking minute playing the video game "World of Warcraft." As a result, he dropped out of the University of Iowa.

Alexander, 19, needed help to break an addiction that he described as being as destructive as those stemming from alcohol or drug abuse. He found it in a suburb of high-tech Seattle, where what claims to be the first residential treatment center for Internet addiction in the United States recently opened its doors.

The center, called ReSTART, opened in July and for $14,000 offers a 45-day program that employs a cold-turkey approach to help people wean themselves from pathological computer use, which can include obsessive use of video games, texting, social networks, online auctions and other technological time-killers.

"We've been doing this for years on an outpatient basis," said Hilarie Cash, a therapist and executive director of the center. "Up until now, we had no place to send them."

Internet addiction is not recognized as a separate disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, and treatment is not generally covered by insurance. But there are many such treatment centers in China, South Korea and Taiwan — where Internet addiction is taken very seriously — and many psychiatric experts say Internet addiction is real and harmful.

Whether such programs work in the long run remains to be seen. For one thing, the Internet is so pervasive that it can be nearly impossible to resist, Cash said.

Serious fallout, uncertain solutions


The effects of addiction are no joke. They range from loss of a job or marriage to car accidents for those who can't stop texting while driving. Some people have died after playing video games for days without a break, generally stemming from a blood clot associated with being sedentary.

According to Dr. Kimberly Young of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pa., addiction warning signs are being preoccupied with thoughts of the Internet; using it longer than intended, and for increasing amounts of time; repeatedly making unsuccessful efforts to control use; jeopardizing relationships, school or work to spend time online; lying to cover the extent of Internet use; using the Internet to escape problems or feelings of depression; headaches or carpal tunnel syndrome.

Exactly how to respond is being debated.

For instance, Internet addiction can be a symptom of other mental conditions such as depression or autism, experts say.

"From what we know, many so-called 'Internet addicts' are folks who have severe depression, anxiety disorders or social phobic symptoms that make it hard for them to live a full, balanced life and deal face-to-face with other people," said Dr. Ronald Pies, professor of psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y.

"It may be that unless we treat their underlying problems, some new form of 'addiction' will pop up down the line," Pies said.

A distinct illness?

There is debate on whether to include Internet addiction as a separate illness in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, due in 2012, which determines which mental illnesses get covered by insurance.

Pies and Dr. Jerald Block, of Oregon Health Sciences University, said there is not enough research to justify its inclusion.

"Among psychiatrists there is general recognition that many patients have difficulty controlling their impulses to chat online or play computer games or watch porn," Block said. "The debate is how to classify that."

Cash, co-author of the book "Video Games & Your Kids," started dealing with Internet addiction in 1994, with a patient who was so consumed by video games that he had lost his marriage and two jobs.

Internet addicts miss out on real conversations and real human development, often see their hygiene, their home and relationships deteriorate, don't eat or sleep properly and don't get enough exercise, Rae said.

Losing 'Warcraft'

Alexander is a tall, quiet young man who always got good grades and hopes to become a biologist.

He started playing "World of Warcraft," a hugely popular online multiplayer role playing game, about a year ago, and got sucked in.

"At first, it was a couple of hours a day," Alexander said. "By midway through the first semester, I was playing 16 or 17 hours a day.

"School wasn't interesting," he said, describing his game-playing as an easy way to socialize and meet people.

It was also an easy way to flunk out. He dropped out in the second semester and went to a substance abuse program, which was not a good fit. He graduated from a 10-week outdoors-based program in Utah but felt he still had little control over his gaming.

So he sought out a specialized program and arrived in Fall City in July, where he spends his days in counseling and psychotherapy sessions, doing household chores, working on the center's grounds, going on outings, exercising and baking cookies. He thinks it was a good choice.

"I don't think I'll go back to 'World of Warcraft' anytime soon," Alexander said.
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I Found an ad in the newspaper for this and I checked it out.

Whoa.
 
No...not really. Gaming "addiction" seems to stem from underlying issues and probably would be better solved in a one on one session with a Psychiatrist.

Then again I've always had an issue with how the term addiction is applied a little to liberally.
 
There has been gaming rehab in other countries for quite sometime. Have you seen those shows where they take screw ups and put them in bootcamp to scare them straight? Well in china they have that for gamers in actually beat the crap out of you. there have been a few deaths because of it. It is an addiction, and We do need a rehabilitation center for the ones that really can function without it.
 
this will cause MORE hype that video games and teh internets are the cause of extreme violence & bad morals among kids... so, no
 
WoW's just too addictive, and there are too many people who can't control themselves.... At least I'm an artist, and use my computer for a good reason. I'm hardly ever playing games :D
 
The problem is not with the games its with the parents and the media.

"The times are not becoming more violent. They are becoming more televised"- Marilyn Manson.

Kids dont go on a killing rampage because of games, its almost always the fact that maybe they had an abusive parent(s) or had a tough life.
The media picks on the games that a rampager(?) played or listened to because its EASY. So the Columbine shooters listened to marilyn manson, CNN blamed him for it because his lyrics influenced them to do it. Complete crap. I listen to Marilyn Manson and millions of other people do, just because I like Marilyn Manson does not mean im a violent person at all. It is just the type of music I like.

They pick on games because everyone likes to use that against the gaming community. Another rampager (forgot his name) played DOOM and the media blamed DOOM as the cause because its violent. People opening up "addiction" clinics is just outrageous and just shows that the people who have them are against all form of video game play. Its just the narrow minded-ness of people that drives me insane.

/Rant.
 
It's not video games. It's other issues that people have that force them to withdraw into a game. It could just as easily be watching T.V. or doing drugs or drinking.

The games themselves are not the cause.
 
The concept of an addiction treatment center is to allure patients to it.

Very few people say "I have a problem with ________, therefore the underlying problem must be _______. I should seek treatment for that."

Instead they seek treatment for what they see as an addiction.

The addiction centers do not try and "cure" them of an addiction, instead they try and improve the underlying issue by the use of many different, and sometimes common sense silly, treatments...like doing chores and baking cookies.
 
I will be the very first to stand up and say computer games (specially role playing ones) are VERY addictive. I know, I've been that way in the past.

However, as others have stated, it's not so much as the game itself, as the fundamental problems somebody is having..
 
DragonD said:
I will be the very first to stand up and say computer games (specially role playing ones) are VERY addictive. I know, I've been that way in the past.

However, as others have stated, it's not so much as the game itself, as the fundamental problems somebody is having..
Click to expand...

I think most will agree that not only video games, but pretty much anything can be formed into an addiction. The question here is if people with such an addiction should receive treatment in rehabilitation centers.
 
*THIS IS MY OPINION AND IS NO WAY MEANT TO TARGET OR PUT ANYONE DOWN*

I agree that there are addictions in everything. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders are addictions to doing one thing, or in other words habits that they can't break. I know that when I was in high school, all I did was play games durring the summer. I would wake up, turn the computer on, drink a six pack of mountain dew a day and 16/17 hours later, I would be going to bed to do the same thing the next day.

I personally feel that I've thrown away alot of time that I could have spent with friends, and improving myself. I know that you can have online aquaintances through the internet, but I have never met anyone online that I've played games with. It's a different kind of social network system. You're interested in the same things, gamming, but it's not face to face interaction.

I feel for people that can't push the off button, or find that playing games should trump work, life responsibilites, relationships with family/friends need to look at that closely and see if that's the direction they want their life to head. If they need help because they don't have the self disapline to do it, then a rehab center sounds reasonable.

I also remember hearing about a guy who played WOW for 20hrs/day. When he was kicked out of his guild, he shot himself thinking that there was nothing left in his life. THAT person really needed rehab.

I am not harping on anyone that does spend this amount of time 7/days a week at all. I'm not project my belief system on anyone either, I've been that person. I know that I've broken every habit, addiction, that I've caught myself having. I am able to do that, some people aren't able, thus this type of system is good. I think it's also way out of the wallets of most people that have an online addiction... so it's not going to help some of the people that really need it.

At the end of my life, I will not look back at it and say, wow, I spent X-amount of years and achieved nothing of real value for myself, society or people I love.

/rant.

P.S. I also can't spell good, lol.
 
You can be addicted, but I doubt that any of you really are.

Like drinking, there's a difference between a binge drinker and an alcoholic. I admit, I think I played games a bit more that I should have, but now with highschool and all my clubs and my graphics card breaking, I'm laying off a bit.

Still, once a geek/gamer, always a geek/gamer.
 
I'd rather play than watch TV. At least playing is interactive and you can talk to people. I can easily hit esc and quit if I need or want to.
 
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