Too much video gaming not addiction, yet

[Alpha]

Is that your MOMMA?

 

CHICAGO - The American Medical Association on Wednesday backed off calling excessive video-game playing a formal psychiatric addiction, saying instead that more research is needed.

 

A report prepared for the AMA's annual policy meeting had sought to strongly encourage that video-game addiction be included in a widely used diagnostic manual of psychiatric illnesses.

 

AMA delegates instead adopted a watered-down measure declaring that while overuse of video games and online games can be a problem for children and adults, calling it a formal addiction would be premature.

 

"There's no science to support it," said Dr. Stuart Gitlow, an addiction medicine specialist.

 

Despite a lack of scientific proof, Jacob Schulist, 14, of Hales Corners, Wis., says he's certain he was addicted to video games — and that the AMA's vote was misguided.

 

Until about two months ago, when he discovered a support group called On-Line Gamers Anonymous, Jacob said he played online fantasy video games for 10 hours straight some days.

 

He said his habit got so severe that he quit spending time with family and friends.

 

"My grades were horrible, I failed the entire first semester" this past school year because of excessive video-game playing, he said, adding, "It's like they're your life."

 

But delegates voted to have the AMA encourage more research on the issue, including seeking studies on what amount of video-game playing and other "screen time" is appropriate for children.

 

Under the new policy, the AMA also will send the revised video-game measure to the American Psychiatric Association, asking it to consider the full report in its diagnostic manual; the next edition is to be completed in 2012.

 

Dr. Louis Kraus, a psychiatric association spokesman, said the report will be a helpful resource.

 

The AMA's report says up to 90 percent of American youngsters play video games and that up to 15 percent of them — more than 5 million kids — might be addicted.

 

The report, prepared by the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health, also says "dependence-like behaviors are more likely in children who start playing video games at younger ages."

 

Internet role-playing games involving multiple players, which can suck kids into an online fantasy world, are the most problematic, the report says. That's the kind of game Jacob Schulist says hooked him.

 

Kraus, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Chicago's Rush Medical Center, said behavior that looks like addiction in video-game players may be a symptom of social anxiety, depression or another psychiatric problem.

 

He praised the AMA report for recommending more research.

 

"They're trying very hard not to make a premature diagnosis," Kraus said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070627/ap_on_..._game_addiction

[OverlordMondo]

Yeah, I play video games ten hours a day some times, too, big deal. Honestly, that even leaves room for school or a job, and it's not like your family and friends are necessarily excluded from those ten hours.

[gizmo_ult]

playing games a lot is not an addiction it's very helpful solving puzzles and letting anger out by killing people in games instead of the real thing see games are not evil only crazy people are

[cody56]

I am sooo frickin tired of hearing this crap. So just because some people like to play games that makes them different somehow?? We don't spend our entire day STUDYING gamers, so the gamers must have something wrong. That probably didn't make much sense, but I'm a little pissed off right now so yea....

[ken_cinder]

It IS an addiction, and so is the internet in and of itself. We are being formed into a society where digital bonds are the only necessity in life, and theres nothing anyone can do about it.

 

It's called EVOLUTION. The only way to stop being "addicted" to these things to that degree, is to have a goddamn mind of your own, and have parents that don't need to be shot and pissed on (Something most children these days are lacking, look at obesity rates).

 

Parents and the medical community are FAR too quick to blame societal problems of children, on video games, movies and television, when the problem is the parents and medical community itself! There is far too much misinformation, lack of information and "I just don't give a damn, I'm lazy" going around.

 

TO THE WORLD, I SAY..........FARK YOU AND GET A MIND OF YOUR OWN!

[2eyez]

I used to play video games a lot, but I always did the important issues first like school and work. Now, I rarely play any video games. I think it was just a phase that I went through.

[JKKDARK]

Sadly I'm busy because I have a job. But I play video games at least one hour every day

[Ahmad89]

A piece of info that i learned from college. Most statistics are a lie. They are thier to say "we have statistics that prove" blah blah blah. I see this as a waste of time and money. Stop buying the kids games and your problem is solved.

 

I have to agree with Cinder. A lot of people i know have parents that dont give a crap or they try but not hard enough. My parents had thier own way of stopping me and my brothers from playing video games. It is easy actually. The following video will explain how your kids can turn from dumbasses to college degree kids (if applied correctly).

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrWCYF8WB9w

 

But really, when you have a kid that all you can tell is go to your room and he can do what ever you wants, its really actually a government problem. Not all kids need to be hit, but i think most do.

[Lucandrake]

Thanks cinder for saying the truth