Gaming Addiction - How to Help a Friend

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is currently in its fifth edition. Updated just last year, the DSM-5 is a tool used by American mental health professionals to classify and diagnose mental disorders. In layman's terms, it is a giant dictionary of mental illnesses.

There is no official diagnosis for video game addiction in the United States, however, it is debatable between professionals and it was proposed that gaming addiction be added to the DSM-5. Many other similar addictions are covered throughout the DSM-5, including gambling disorder. Similarities between gambling and gaming addiction can be observed including feeling irritable when trying to cut back or quit, playing to avoid negative feelings or to escape problems, and spending a large amount of time or money focused on playing.

The American Psychiatric Association says, "some behaviors, such as gambling, activate the brain reward system with effects similar to those of drugs of abuse and that gambling disorder symptoms resemble substance use disorders to a certain extent." Games such as Candy Crush Saga, FarmVille and subscription based games like World of Warcraft are the games one tends to think of first when thinking of gaming addiction. For the sake of clarity, let's use Candy Crush Saga as our main example.

Candy Crush Saga is comparable to gambling because the brain's reward system may be activated when completing levels; lights and exciting sounds, points and bonuses and new levels are rewarded to players that may leave an individual feeling gratified, yet wanting more. Moreover, Candy Crush Saga allows for in-game purchases. Get stuck on a level? Run out of lives? Players have the option of waiting a set amount of time to continue the game, or they may purchase more lives to continue. Spending money on a game that gives back nothing but the gratification of completing a puzzle within an entire game is well, a problem.

The topic of video game addiction has been and will forever be, a controversial subject. Whether you believe that it is a true psychological disorder or not, playing video games excessively, to the point where it hinders on a person's daily functioning or causes financial problems, can be concerning.

This article is written from the view that gaming addiction is a true problem, one that can be alleviated like other psychological disorders. It was written by a gamer and not a mental health professional, and therefore the following steps should be read only as a guide when seeking help for someone with a gaming addiction.

Steps to Helping Someone with a Gaming Addiction:

1. Communicate Your Concerns

Many gaming addicts may not realize that they have a problem, yet alone that others view their gaming habits as an issue. Being open with the gaming addict and communicating your concerns is a good place to start. Simply be straightforward and tell the individual about your concerns and thoughts on the predicament.

2. Provide Resources and Encourage Them to Seek Help

After bringing up your concerns (if you don't get a door slammed in your face) encourage the addicted to seek help. The resources available online are endless, and in today's world finding help is easier than ever. Thanks to the likes of Google and Bing, finding a therapist or a mental health center is as easy as typing a few words into a search engine.

3. Show Your Continued Support

When it comes down to it, no one is going to seek help until they want it. With or without the desire to change a behavior, it is still good to show your continued support towards someone with an addiction problem. With someone that may be reluctant, the easiest way to do so is to encourage them to try new activities and participate in these with them. Simply put, do other things with them besides gaming.

The above steps may read easier than they actually are, however, when addiction becomes personal, it's a different story; one that is often difficult to face. If you or a friend has a gaming addiction, speak with a trustworthy person and/or seek professional help if needed.

Approximately every ten years a new edition of the DSM is published. With this being said, the DSM-6 will be published around 2023. That is a lot of time for the gaming industry to grow, for technology to advance and for new psychological disorders to emerge. Will gaming addiction eventually be recognized as a psychological disorder? Only time will tell.

Readers, what do you think? Can someone be addicted to video games or is gaming addiction just a myth? What else can be done to help a friend that may have a gaming addiction?