WHO Calls Extreme Gaming a Mental Health 'Disorder'

 

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

One of the most common complaints among American parents today is children spending too much time on a computer or other electronic devices. This is especially true if the child spends several hours a day playing video games.

Parents may begin to worry that gaming is more than just a waste of time. They fear it might become an addiction². The child could develop a strong desire or need to keep playing.

Officials at the World Health Organization are worried, too. They say playing video games creates strong feelings of pleasure and reward in the brain. And in some cases, that can lead to addictive³ behavior. So, the WHO has listed "gaming disorder⁴" as a mental health condition.

Mental health experts are debating whether the move is helpful or not. They say the WHO’s declaration may simply frighten parents into thinking their child is addicted⁵ to video games.

But to others, the possibility of gaming becoming an addiction is very real. After all, video game creators want to design programs that keep people playing.

People can slowly become addicted to video gaming. Some may play for hours. They lose interest in doing other things. They stop going to school or work.

Canadian Cam Adair was one of them.

"Originally when I started gaming, it was fine. You know, I was a healthy, happy kid … played hockey. But eventually, it began to become a problem. And I actually ended up dropping out of high school, not once but twice, never graduated, never went to college. And it got to a point where I was pretending to have jobs, playing video games up to 16 hours a day."

Some addiction experts say signs of gaming addiction are similar to alcoholism and drug addiction.

Christopher Mulligan is director of the Cyber Addiction Recovery Center in Los Angeles. He also treats patients for all kinds of technology addiction -- from gaming to text messaging.

He says that video game addicts⁶ experience the same highs and lows as drug addicts do.

The high is from dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain. It is responsible for sending signals between nerve cells, or neurons. As Mulligan notes, one of the lows is when the gamer stops playing.

"Gamers, texters, kids that are reading and like watching YouTube videos get this dopamine release. When it stops abruptly⁷ … they really experience almost spontaneous withdrawals⁸."

But not everyone who plays video games is addicted. Based on reports, the WHO estimates that only a very small percentage of video game players are addicts, about 3 percent in all. It adds that most of them are from East and South Asia.

Warning signs: When normal gaming becomes an addiction

But that does not mean we can't watch for warning signs. The WHO's Shekhar Saxena says there are some signs that may mean a person has or is developing a gaming addiction.

"Be careful if the person you are with ... is using gaming in an excessive manner. If it is consuming too much time and if it is interfering⁹ with the expected functions of the person -- whether it is studies, whether it is socialization, whether it is work -- then you need to be cautious and perhaps seek help.”

Some experts reject the idea of listing extreme video gaming as an addiction. They argue that extreme gaming is a sign of other problems.

These experts say that some people use video games to help with nervousness or depression. They add that children are more likely to get addicted to video games if they lack social skills. When children are better socially, they say, their need for gaming will decline.

Cam Adair, the former video game addict¹, welcomed the WHO’s decision. He said it will lead to greater recognition of the problem so that people can get treatment.

Christopher Mulligan notes that addiction to video games cannot be treated in the same way as alcoholism or drug abuse. A person can avoid drugs and alcohol. But that is not the case with modern technology. The goal, he adds, is to create a relationship with technology that can last throughout the person’s life.

"They're going to have to get back online, eventually. They're going to have to use their computers. They are going to have to use their phones. So, it's really teaching this very challenging goal of (a) sustainable relationship to technology."

The World Health Organization says identifying gaming disorder as a disease will help its members recognize the problem and prepare ways to treat it.

And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

addiction – n. a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble)

complaint – n. a statement that you are unhappy or not satisfied with something

reward – psychology¹⁰ n. Certain neural¹¹ structures, called the reward system, are critically involved in mediating¹² the effects of reinforcement. A reward is a stimulus¹³ given to a human or some other animal to alter its behavior.

originally – adv. in the beginning : when something first happened or began

pretend – v. to act as if something is true when it is not true

abruptly – adv. very sudden and not expected

spontaneous – adj. done or said in a natural and often sudden way and without a lot of thought or planning

excessive – adj. going beyond what is usual, normal, or proper

cautious – adj. careful about avoiding danger or risk

sustainable – adj. able to last or continue for a long time

1 addict   

v.使沉溺；使上瘾；n.沉溺于不良嗜好的人

参考例句：

• He became gambling addict,and lost all his possessions.他习染上了赌博，最终输掉了全部家产。
• He assisted a drug addict to escape from drug but failed firstly.一开始他帮助一个吸毒者戒毒但失败了。

2 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

3 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

4 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

5 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

6 addicts   

有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

7 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

8 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

9 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

10 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

11 neural   

adj.神经的，神经系统的

参考例句：

• The neural network can preferably solve the non- linear problem.利用神经网络建模可以较好地解决非线性问题。
• The information transmission in neural system depends on neurotransmitters.信息传递的神经途径有赖于神经递质。

12 mediating   

调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的现在分词 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生

参考例句：

• So many factors are mediating. 如此众多的因素在起作用。
• The contrast in mediating noted in the sitting room. 客厅中注重了调和中的对比。

13 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。