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from the today-I-learned-that-gaming-disorder-is-real dept.
Increase in gaming disorder in UK forcing people into private treatment at home or abroad
Jan Willem Poot, 40, a former addict turned entrepreneur who set up the clinic, said it was seeing a 20-30% annual increase in people – mainly young men – coming in with gaming dependency. "Also, in the beginning it was eight to 10 hours of playing but at this moment we have got kids who game 18-19 hours a day. They sometimes go weeks without showers and are not eating."
Gaming disorder is defined by the World Health Organization as a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour so severe that it takes "precedence over other life interests". Symptoms include impaired control over gaming and continuation or escalation of gaming despite negative consequences.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Monday August 19 2019, @01:54PM
The NHS doesn't decide which medical problems are recognised. They accept that WHO decision in this instance. But as that decision has been made only recently then there are no funds allocated to that area until the next budget. The NHS will have to take money which is currently allocated elsewhere.
So you are saying that there are relatively few things more important than gaming addiction? Which ones? Traffic accidents? Kidney failure? Birth defects? I didn't say that it wasn't important, I said that there are far more important things to consider. When the NHS is short of funding - as it currently is - then it is right to prioritise on the more important and some things are bound to be of a lesser importance.
Of course, their view is different - they are only thinking of their own problems. Society has to balance that against the needs of everyone. Unless you have a similar system to that, say, in the USA where the rich will be OK but the poor might not be able to afford any treatment whatsoever.