MegaDrive20XX
Segatron Genesis... call me the wizard.
AMA: Gaming Addiction not a Disorder
Not enough research for doctors to classify.
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3160532
Maybe we're not all crazy after all. After word spread that the American Medical Association was proposing that gaming addiction be officially recognized as a medical disorder, gamers across the U.S. were starting to get a bit paranoid. If the hammer fell -- pronouncing our hobby of choice as truly dangerous to our health -- how long before a suspicious family member or loved one would make the call and lock away us (or worse, our consoles). Thankfully, as GamesIndustry.biz is reporting, we no longer need be concerned.
Debate was held and the AMA discovered that doctors were generally opposed to the idea of classifying game addiction as a legitimate disorder, citing a lack of research on the topic. A final recommendation is set to come later this week, with sources from the group adding that if further research were to prove that gaming addiction was more serious, it could be included in the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual when the next volume is released in five years. One AMA doctor, Stuart Gitlow, had this uplifting quote for gamers: "There's nothing here to suggest that this is a complex physiological disease state akin to alcoholism or other substance abuse disorders, and it doesn't get to have the word addiction attached to it."
While gaming as a whole is off the hook for now -- at least where medical disorders are concerned -- expect more research into gaming addiction in the next few years. It seems unlikely that it will ever be shown to be as bad as alcoholism or the kinds of addictions Gitlow refers to, but we might want to be prepared just in case
Not enough research for doctors to classify.
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3160532
Maybe we're not all crazy after all. After word spread that the American Medical Association was proposing that gaming addiction be officially recognized as a medical disorder, gamers across the U.S. were starting to get a bit paranoid. If the hammer fell -- pronouncing our hobby of choice as truly dangerous to our health -- how long before a suspicious family member or loved one would make the call and lock away us (or worse, our consoles). Thankfully, as GamesIndustry.biz is reporting, we no longer need be concerned.
Debate was held and the AMA discovered that doctors were generally opposed to the idea of classifying game addiction as a legitimate disorder, citing a lack of research on the topic. A final recommendation is set to come later this week, with sources from the group adding that if further research were to prove that gaming addiction was more serious, it could be included in the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual when the next volume is released in five years. One AMA doctor, Stuart Gitlow, had this uplifting quote for gamers: "There's nothing here to suggest that this is a complex physiological disease state akin to alcoholism or other substance abuse disorders, and it doesn't get to have the word addiction attached to it."
While gaming as a whole is off the hook for now -- at least where medical disorders are concerned -- expect more research into gaming addiction in the next few years. It seems unlikely that it will ever be shown to be as bad as alcoholism or the kinds of addictions Gitlow refers to, but we might want to be prepared just in case
