Doctors Considering Diagnosing Video Game Addiction as a Psychiatric Disorder

Latimes.com reports that doctors are looking to diagnose video game addiction. Healthcare specialists and even gamers themselves are beginning to believe that something might be wrong when a person puts who off going to the bathroom in order to finish a final round of a video game.

Doctors are lobbying to get his thing formally diagnosed: video game addiction. The proposal is up for debate by the American Medical Association in Chicago on Sunday. Early next week, the proposal is supposed to be voted on. The purpose of the proposal is to include video game addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This manual is thought to be the final word for diagnosing mental illness, reports Latimes.com.

The effect of getting video game addiction in the manual would be that doctors would be considered reasonable when telling parents to cut down the amount of time their children spend playing video games, watching television, and using the internet. Furthermore, the proposal would lead the AMA to petition the Federal Trade Commission to improve the rating system for the content in video games.

The Associated Press reports that it is not likely that the proposal will go through without a lot of debate. Video game makers are appalled at the idea that their product causes a mental disorder. Even some medical professionals think that calling the habit a formal addiction is a bit much.

Latimes.com reports that Dave Taylor always suspected that his love of playing "Fallout" was a little on the pathological side. Often, Dave would play the game for twenty four hours at a time. He would lose sleep, put off eating, and twist himself in knots trying to delay the urge to go to the bathroom.

The AP quoted Dr. Karen Pierce, a psychiatrist at a Children's hospital in Chicago. Pierce said that she sees at least two children a week who overindulge in video games. She also said, " I saw somebody this week who hasn't been to bed, hasn't showered...because of video games... He is really a mess."

Cbsnews.com reports that up to 90 percent of young people in American play video games, and 15 percent of that group may be addicted. That's over 5 million children. Cbsnews also reports that there is an anonymous support group that has an online website. This group is for gamers who may feel that they need some help. The group is called Online Gamers Anonymous and was created by Liz Woolley from Harrisburg, PA. Woolley's son shot himself dead while playing an online video game. Woolley believes that the game ruined her child's life.

Pham, Alex Looking to Label Addiction to Video Games latimes.com url (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-addict22jun22,0,3329668.story?coll=la-home-center)

Associated Press, Video game addiction: A new diagnosis?, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/health/4910351.html