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England's National Health Service will be putting a plan into motion to fund and create an internet addiction center, which will focus on helping those "addicted to video gaming". Officially called the Centre for Internet Disorders, it'll be headed by the NHS London Foundation Trust and Henreietta Bowden-Jones, offering help to families with those that are suffering from internet or gaming related disorders.

When asked for a comment about the future opening of the clinic, Jones had the following to say to The Guardian:

Gaming disorder is finally getting the attention it deserves. The distress and harm it can cause is extreme and I feel a moral duty on behalf of the NHS to provide the evidence based treatment these young people and their families need

This follows the controversial decision from the World Health Organization earlier this month, which had been discussing the proposal of classifying gaming addictions and related disorders as a health condition.

One of the major reasons for implementing this is to help keep students from dropping out of school due to negative behavior instigated or caused by an over dependence on video games.

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[Kingy]

What a great idea! Let's spend tax money on things as stupid as "helping video game addiction"!

 

[FAST6191]

I am curious to see what goes here. On the one hand I am not sure it warrants special treatment (or classification) over any other psychological addiction, on the other it might be able to do more catered stuff than a run of the mill type would.

Moreover plenty of places have had to fight tooth and nail to set up things for far more common problems (many places will not have an autism service more than about 5 years old at this point, not to mention trying to get dyslexia sorted can be tricky if you don't know the secret handshake).

 

[The Catboy]

Addiction is a real problem and should be treated with medical treatment. That being said this is honestly coming off more like "Old man yelling at clouds," over actual helpful attention. Gaming attention shouldn't be treated differently and shouldn't be considered something different from other forms of addiction, it should be treated the same as all the others. This kind of attention just seems unwarranted and seems like it's going be abused somehow.

 

[leon315]

I see someone sleep only 5-6h per day, plays videogames 8h everydays and watch 8h of videogames' videos on youtuve/Twitch, guys honestly how many people you know behave like this way?

 

[Flame]

i might go to one of these.. I'm sure ill find gamers of my liking; who I can play Pokemon go together... even trade some good pokemon with my GBA!

 

[Depravo]

with a plan to expand its services to cover other internet-based addiction

They mean porn, don't they?

 

[Flame]

They mean porn, don't they?

ill go to that too. im sure ill find hot chicks, who have sex addiction.

 

[TheRedfox]

Every addiction needs a specialized treatment, and it's only good that these projects get funding.

In our befriended country(netherlands) there are like +-15 clinics specialized in "internet/gaming addiction" where you can sign up for and get help funded by your (mandantory state sponsored) health insurance, but the problem with these people is that they often don't recognize their own problems or when they do don't even seek help :/
While seeking help is as easy as going to your GP, and you'll get a intake within 2-3 weeks at a clinic near you

 

[SkittleDash]

I like my internet and my games but I wouldn't say I'm addicted to it. Most of the time, I just have nothing better to do. But maybe this could do good to my drunk brother who only sits on his ass playing games and spending hundreds on lootboxes. >.>

 

[leon315]

i might go to one of these.. I'm sure ill find gamers of my liking; who I can play Pokemon go together... even trade some good pokemon with my GBA!

i'm sure viddeogames are forbidden inside that structure, like alcohol/drug addiction clinics forbid those same things.

 

[Deleted User]

Wonder when they'll be finding the "How to control your kids" clinic?

I blame not being able to slap your kids for unruly behaviour anymore.

 

[Flame]

i'm sure viddeogames are forbidden inside that structure, like alcohol/drug addiction clinics forbid those same things.

how am going to now what other people are doing if i cant take my phone?

D:

 

[leon315]

how am going to now what other people are doing if i cant take my phone?

D:

The clinic cures you from videogame addiction, can phone play videogames? pretty obvious unless u go there with a Old good B&W Nokia....

 

[Flame]

The clinic cures you from videogame addiction, can phone play videogames? pretty obvious unless u go there with a Old good B&W Nokia....

well if this Nokia has snake. ill be fine.

 

[leon315]

well if this Nokia has snake. ill be fine.

holy shit, you are hopeless...hahahah

 

[Justinde75]

Im sorry for every 14 year old that gets sent to this because hid mom is sick of him playing fortnite like 3 times a week

 

[KingVamp]

I wonder how far they are going to take this? A lot of people managed to play games for a living.

 

[FAST6191]

Every addiction needs a specialized treatment, and it's only good that these projects get funding.

I am going to have to disagree quite strongly here. Absolutely do treat any chemical addictions with big boy withdrawal symptoms properly. As far as delineating psychological things and creating specialist treatment paths to this extent then I want to see outcomes studies, incidence rates and all that before I even start here. I am also at a complete loss to figure out why computer games would have any kind of specialist requirements here, give or take "someone that knows enough about games to have a useful conversation*" which is not a big ask these days (at time of posting most people under 35 or so will be able to perform here).

*just a baseline would be required or you will never end up splitting finer and finer hairs, to say nothing of people being able to learn the relevant terms fairly quickly, and it tends not to be that useful anyway.

ill go to that too. im sure ill find hot chicks, who have sex addiction.

Do you think you will be able to keep up?

i'm sure viddeogames are forbidden inside that structure, like alcohol/drug addiction clinics forbid those same things.

I don't know their treatment protocols here but a lot of things like it are about getting people to develop a healthy relationship with things so you might be wrong.
For a general idea of what might be done then it could be something like get them to play but supervise them in that. Depending upon observations either stop at some point and get them to consider things or wait until it is done and then talk about what was observed.

 

[gamesquest1]

should be released on VR