More half of all teenagers seeking help at psychiatric clinics have refused to attend school due to what some Taichung Hospital physicians refer to as their growing addiction to the Internet or playing computer games.
Computer games help relieve stress and are entertaining, but if people devote too much time to games, it causes blood to flow to the frontal lobe of the brain and lessens impulse control, said Lin Hsiu-man (林秀嫚), a doctor with the Taichung Hospital’s department of psychiatry.
Playing computer games is not conducive to aiding thought processes and gives no physical feelings, which lessen inhibitions about hurting others, due to the difficulty that addicted gamers have with understanding pain to themselves or causing pain to others.
Lin referred to a recent case in which a student in his second year of high school refused to go to school and only wanted to play computer games, adding that the student had also entered verbal and physical fights with his parents.
The student was addicted to the Internet, and while cognizant of the fact that his reliance on games had made a mess of his life, he could not break out from the vicious circle, leading to the complication of mild depression, Lin said.
The student wanted to change, but did not know how, said Lin, who suggested a combination of psychiatric and medical treatment, as well as giving him positive social support.
The parents have also taken a step back, using less confrontational methods, while hiring tutors to help the student keep up with school work, Lin said, adding that the school encouraged the student to show up to class even if he was late.
Through the gradual decrease of game time and gentle reminders on when to shut off the computer, as well as enrolling the student in summer camps to encourage physical interaction, the student’s life has gradually returned to normal after three months of treatment, Lin said.
Teenagers are faced with hormonal changes of puberty, the gradual independence from their family and more exposure to society as well as peer and educational pressure, Lin said, adding that the multiple sources of pressure usually lead to the individuals becoming easily irritable, showing a lack of interest in things, and sometimes a dip in academic performance.
Lin urged teens to use online self-evaluations for depressing emotions to gauge whether they needed to see a doctor.
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