Is Video Game Addiction A Real Problem?
We live in current times where being online, using social media platforms, and internet gaming is now considered a way to communicate or “socialize” from a safe distance from one another. Gamers living in areas that have been mandated to stay at home have even more time now to distance themselves from the outside world, which for some could feed a developing video game addiction. What is most concerning in today’s world is the alarming and growing percentage of children and young adults that spend time online when compared to previous years. One study shows that average daily video game play among kids ages 8 to 18 rose from 26 minutes per day in 1999, to an over quadrupled amount of 110 minutes per day by 2009. That’s not to mention the even higher staggering numbers for boys, 25 percent of whom play video games for four or more hours per day!
According to a 2018 Healthline article, more than 90 percent of American kids play video games. With almost equally high numbers that might be as high as 99 percent of boys, and 94 percent of girls. And it is not just kids enjoying internet or video gaming either, according to the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) 58 percent of all Americans play video games. With half of those gamers being aged over 50 years old, it’s scary to think what the numbers will look like when calculated a year after an experienced pandemic. Most forms of enjoyment can be experienced at healthy levels, when awareness and balance is utilized. But when video game addiction enjoyment turns to a need and dependency of it to enjoy everyday life, concern can arise. Do you or a loved one suffer from internet gaming disorder? There are facilities open and waiting for your hand, with internet gaming disorder treatment addiction services available.
Who Would Be Considered For Internet Gaming Addiction Treatment?
There is still some debate as to whether video game addiction is considered a disease however. Although the WHO (World Health Organization) decided to include “gaming disorder” in the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases in mid-2018, it did not at all settle the long-standing debate of it’s pathological bearings. Researchers still demand discussion whether electronic gaming, which is to be considered gaming online, by video consoles and/or on smartphones, could be addictive enough to be considered pathological. Therefore, the WHO’s decision further ignited the controversy leaving researchers on opposite ends demanding the need of more evidence. Some consider video game addiction disorder as a manifestation, in the form of a coping mechanism or self-medication, of another mental health issue, such as anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or other established diagnoses. Although neurobiology research does not clarify this question for some researchers, there is no doubt that internet gaming disorders are a very real problem that needs to be addressed. With this issue becoming ever more prevalent in today’s world, corresponding help has also never been more available than now for internet gaming addiction treatment.
For video game addiction sufferers, negative consequences exist in the form of lost status in the game, such as lost points or reduced rankings relative to other players. But in real life, negative consequences include a lost sense of reality, suffering relationships, emotional rollercoasters, trouble or lack of concentration at school for children- and work for adults. In fact, Dr. Yang Wang and his research associates at the Indiana University School of Medicine did brain-imaging research in 2011 that indicated video gaming-induced brain changes. Young adults in his study showed “less activation in certain frontal brain regions following one week of playing violent video games.” These frontal brain regions, associated with executive functioning, are also the same brain regions that are affected by drug addiction. Therefore, reinforcing the need for internet gaming disorder treatment addiction services as soon as possible with children and young adults.
Maui Recovery Specializes In Internet Gaming Disorder Treatments
There is now a dedicated specialized program at Maui Recovery to effectively treat this issue. Dr. Kardaras, our Co-CEO and Chief Clinical Officer, is considered one of the world’s leading experts on digital addiction (social media, video games, smart phones, etc.) and internet gaming addiction treatment. “Are We Still in The Game?” Those 6 words were asked of Dr. Kardaras almost 10 years ago by a delusional and confused teen. The 16 year-old client was experiencing an episode of Video Game-Induced Psychosis. That exchange was the beginning of an eye-opening exploration into Video Game Addiction and the neurological impacts screens have on kids. Kardaras is the author of “Glow Kids” (St. Martin’s Press, 2016). Glow kids is a seminal book on the clinical, neurological and sociological aspects of digital/technology addiction. Over the past 10 years, Kardaras has worked clinically with hundreds of young people struggling with video game addiction disease.
What Recovery Centers Can Provide For Those Suffering From An Internet Gaming Disorder
Internet gaming disorder treatment addiction services can come in a variety of conventional or common forms, as well as unique forms in a luxurious environment. Such common forms of treatment include: Motivational Interviewing, DBT, CBT, EMDR and MBSR, but these do not typically provide unique forms of self discovery treatment. Benefits that come with a luxury facility, such as Maui Recovery located in paradise, are that THEY DO include unique therapies that work well with their location. Luxury facilities that aim in creating a variety of Nature Immersion/Adventure Therapy opportunities where clients can also experience a potentially life-saving “shift” should be considered. Such unique therapies include: Snorkeling, Hiking, Outrigger Canoeing, and even Agricultural Farming within the community. Maui Recovery takes a different approach to therapy by removing the clinical setting, and focusing on experiencing change in a more natural setting.
So often, an internet gaming addiction sufferer feels lost and devoid of a healthy sense of self or of a sense of purpose in their lives. But when they can finally begin to re-frame their experiences using the intrinsic power of archetypes such as the “hero’s journey”, they can then begin to understand and re-frame their thoughts. At Maui Recovery we are the world’s only internet gaming addiction treatment facility that uses Myth, Archetype, and “the Hero’s journey” as an intrinsic part of our recovery program. We also employ master-level clinicians that are trained to help guide each client through this “Hero’s Journey”. Do you or a loved one suffer from internet gaming disorder? Take our hand and let us guide you back to living your best life!
