BENGALURU: About two months back, Dr Jini K Gopinath, clinical psychologist, clinical hypnotherapist and director, Psychology, YourDost.com, received an intriguing case: A teenage boy who had stopped brushing his teeth, bathing or going to school. The boy, Dr Jini says, was addicted to playing PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battleground). The game is a player-versus-player battle royale game that allows up to 100 players, where only one player (or team of four players) can be the last one standing. The mobile version of the game saw a worldwide release in March this year and till now, the game has been downloaded over 10 crore times on Google Play Store.
In June this year, World Health Organisation recognised ‘Gaming Disorder’ as a diagnosable condition and even decided to include the term in the 11th edition of its International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Dr Jini explains, “It’s similar to drug and alcohol addiction. It activates the reward areas of the brain by the action of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine. Human beings have the tendency to repeat behaviours that are rewarded. The problem arises when gaming becomes the priority over other interests and daily activities, in spite of negative consequences.” Explaining the case, he added, “In the last two months, the boy’s mobile phone usage intensified. He could not sustain his day-to-day activities and would spend eight to nine hours playing games. He had stopped going to school and had even ordered a certain oil from the internet so that his fingers would glide smoothly over the screen while playing.”
Mainly affects teens
Dr Jini’s case isn’t the only one. Many parents are starting to notice a change of behaviour in their children, due to the latter’s gaming habits. Bengaluru-based mother Priya Sharma (name changed) found that her son was more aggressive ever since he downloaded the game three months back. “He would find ways to miss school or carry the phone to school, despite it being against the rules. Often, he would play the game late into the night. We wouldn’t know until we found him lethargic the next day,” says Priya. She then spoke to him about his habits but the effort was futile. It has now been a month since the boy sought professional help and visits a therapist on a weekly basis.
“For up to four days after his visit to the therapist, he is able to cope and manages to leave the phone aside for some time. He even sleeps with his bedroom door open. Then, the two days just before his next visit are harder for him since the urge to play increases. It’s too early to say anything but we are hopeful,” she adds.
A common trend in such cases is that it mainly affects teenagers. Dr Jini attributes this to adolescence being an exploratory phase where one’s sense of identity develops and a peer group becomes more important. “Identification with the peer group by indulging in games and other activities will be the norm primarily because this gives them acceptance in the group. In children who are not accepted by peers, games give a sense of being competitive and successful,” he explains.
Akhila Suresh (name changed) found similar aggressive patterns in her 13-year-old son. “Sometimes, he would bully his five-year-old sibling or be slightly aggressive with him. I once told him a teacher would not approve of his overgrown haircut and his response was to go hit the teacher,” she shares, adding, ‘He didn’t have many friends in the complex and the few he has are all playing the game together.”
Akhila has now enrolled him in a digital detox learning programme and curtails his cell phone usage to 20 minutes a day. When asked if she had considered seeking professional help, she said, “I think parents need more help than children. We need to be taught how to deal with such situations.”
Course of treatment
Explaining the course of treatment he has taken to help the teenage boy, Dr Jini says, “Internet fasting, or abstaining from using the internet for a few hours, was recommended. Non-internet activities, such as having friends come over for play time, were scheduled. Parental counselling is one of the major agendas here, as they have to use reinforcements diligently to make him learn new coping behaviours.” Since his weekly sessions, the child has now started attending school for half day and has even reduced his initial internet usage by 70 per cent