Experts on addiction and other physicians debated the issue at the meeting on Sunday, concluding that more research needs to be compiled before excessive video-gaming should be consider for categorization as a distinct mental illness.
An estimated 10 percent of video gamers suffer from the problem of addictive play, according to a Reuters article .
“There is 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," said Dr. Stuart Gitlow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
As reported by XBIZ , a recommendation from the AMA would have been the first step in legitimizing video-gaming addiction as a separate diagnosis, distinguishing it from other forms of addiction or obsessive/compulsive behavior.
The next step in the process would involve the American Psychiatric Association’s approval to categorize video gaming addiction as a clinical diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
If the syndrome was listed in the DSMMD-V, it would open the door for development of specific treatment protocol for the condition and also pave the way for treatment to be paid for by health insurance plans.
The group of physicians that originally made the recommendation to the AMA backed off of its position at the meeting, agreeing more research should be completed and the issue be reconsidered five years from now, when the next DSMMD-VI will be published, in 2012.
Dr. Kenneth Woog, a San Clemente-based psychologist who specializes in Internet addiction said he was surprised that the AMA was considering the issue for review because few physicians treat Internet/video-gaming addiction as a separate condition.
“It just hasn’t reached enough consensus with enough people. There’s not a whole lot of people that are really aware of this in the medical profession,” Woog told XBIZ. “The fact that it’s hit the radar screen is good and it’s a good first step. As they see more cases they’ll be more likely to consider it a separate issue.”
Woog said he has treated hundreds of patients in his clinical practice and also with a treatment program he has developed for commercial sale.
“I think over time that people are going to realize it is a specific disorder,” Woog said. “It’s got a distinct treatment and that’s why it should be considered as a separate diagnosis. The industry doesn’t really see that. Not enough people have dealt with this problem.”
Many healthcare specialists agree that excessive video gaming can lead to withdrawal, feelings of isolation and nonparticipation in day-to-day activities like socializing, bathing, working and eating.
Typically, adolescents dealing with the issue are referred to primary care physicians and treated with methods aimed at depression, anxiety and obsessive/compulsive disorder, according to Woog.
“When parents call me, they’ve already been through the wringer. They’ve tried to get treatment and help and nothing has helped,” Woog explained. “For adolescents and their parents the problems can get very serious.
“Many of them are shy, relatively intelligent kids who are now addicted to these computer games. What we want to do with these kids that are bright and capable is moderate them to real success – not virtual success. When you look at it, traditional treatments, like abstinence, just don’t work here.”
Woog did not participate in testimony given to the AMA.
An AMA committee will consider testimony presented at the meeting, and give its recommendation to delegates who will vote on the matter later this week.