Video game addiction is a disease and should be treated under Medicare, expert claims
- Experts called for better recognition of video game addiction in Australia
- ySafe clinical psychologist Jordan Foster looked to the UK as a great example
- Britain opened first clinic to treat people suffering from video game addiction
Video Game addiction should be treated as a mental health disorder that should be treated under Medicare, an expert has claimed.
Clinical psychologist Jordan Foster, ySafe, told 3AW addiction was a serious issue in Australia.
‘We’re really at the infancy of this actually being classified as a disorder,’ she said.
‘I think Medicare will go this way, but at the moment they’re not looking into it.’
The UK has recently opened its first clinic to help treat children whose lives have been severely impacted by video games.
Video Game addiction should be treated as a mental health disorder that should be treated under Medicare, an expert has claimed
Teenagers addicted to gaming will get one-to-one therapy from psychiatrists either in person at a clinic or via Skype.
Their parents will also be offered specialist advice on how to manage their child’s addiction and reduce the amount of time they spend online.
‘We know that young adults are really suffering with gaming addiction, but they don’t tend to seek much help because they don’t have a lot of support around them,’ Ms Foster said.
‘In fact, we’ll see young people will actually not engage in employment, some don’t finish school and they tend to socially isolate themselves.
Ms Foster admitted recognition of the illness had gained traction in the months since the World Health Organisation officially labelled gaming addiction a mental health disorder.
The international body formally acknowledged the condition in May and laid out key symptoms to look out for.
To be diagnosed with this disorder, people must be playing video games so much that it ‘takes precedence over other life interests.’
A person who suffers from gaming disorder may have trouble controlling how often they play video games, how long each session lasts, as well as quitting a game, among other things.
More importantly, those with gaming disorder give increasing priority to video games ‘over other life interests and daily activities, as well as a ‘continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.’
Teenagers addicted to gaming will get one-to-one therapy from psychiatrists either in person at a clinic or via Skype.
Many parents have shared their experiences of raising children addicted to gaming.
Last year, the mother and father of a nine-year-old girl who became addicted to Fortnite told of their horror at learning she had been secretly staying up all night on her Xbox.
As her mother and father slept, the primary school pupil became so immersed in the violent online world she would wet herself rather than take a break to go to the toilet.
Natalie Barr spoke from personal experience and told Sunrise on Wednesday it was difficult for parents to monitor their children and growing addiction.
‘The thing is it just creeps up and creeps up, and I can see how they can addicted.’
Host David Koch admitted the figures on video gaming were alarming.
‘I read some figures that said when your kid leaves high school, they’ve spent more hours gaming than in school.’