A teenage boy from the UK is expected to become the first patient in the country who is to be officially diagnosed as an Internet gaming addict. In addition, a young girl has entered rehab due to her worrying behaviour associated with the “Fortnite” video game.
Before getting addicted to online gaming, the teenager who lives in North London was captain for the rugby and cricket teams of his county. After becoming hooked on Internet gaming, the boy even refused to leave his own home. His mother shared her concerns, saying that the addiction has consumed her son, with him living in the virtual world, rather than in the real one.
The boy, aged 15, is believed to be the first patient in the UK who is to receive a diagnosis of online gaming addiction, following his refusal to go to school over the past year. The teenager’s mother, Kendal Parmar, has been looking for adequate help to deal with her son’s problem for three years. She also faced some difficulties to get the National Health Service (NHS) to recognise his condition as a treatable one, in spite of the fact gaming addiction was officially recognised as a mental health problem by the World Health Organization (WHO).
For the time being, gaming and Internet addictions are mentioned on the official website of the NHS, but there is still no dedicated information or advice on the matter. On the other hand, private treatment of the problem is available, but the usually high expenses can prevent many gaming addicts from seeking help and getting some.
Little Girl Gets to Rehab Due to Gaming Addiction
As previously reported by Casino Guardian, younger children often become victims of compulsive gaming behaviour, with various gaming and gambling options being available literally everywhere on the Internet.
A 9-year-old girl has entered rehab as a result of her addiction to the “Fortnite” video game. The girl’s mother has shared that her family became concerned about the mental health of the child and explained that they had had absolutely no idea of the addictive nature of the game and the consequences which could occur. The woman further revealed that the little girl was in therapy for the addiction, following behavioural changes.
The child’s parents bought the girl an Xbox in January 2018, but they started noticing the worrying signs of the ongoing addiction in March. They shared that her grades at school have become worse and that there were reports of the girl falling asleep in class. As mentioned above, behavioural changes were also some of the first worrying signs, along with physical violence when the family tried to remove her console and even small regular payments with their credit card which the child admitted she had used to buy extra in-game items in the game.
In the end, the girl’s parents discovered that she had spent two months playing the game for up to 10 hours on a daily basis without permission and sought help.
Gaming Disorder Classified as Mental Illness by WHO
Experts say that there are many other cases of children getting addicted to online gaming. Various gaming options could be found literally everywhere on the Internet, with many games being promoted as especially appropriate for children audiences.
However, the games’ graphics, animated characters and sounds are often found addictive, as they are set at encouraging children to go on and on playing the game. On the other hand, Internet gaming addictions often come as a way for children to deal with increased stress and anxiety, or emotional pressure at home.
As mentioned above, the World Health Organization classified gaming disorder as a mental health issue at the beginning of 2018. Despite the WHO has said that the condition is still extremely rare, some problem gaming experts and charities have already raised a red flag over the constantly increasing number of children involved in Internet gaming.
- Author
Daniel Williams
