A 15-year-old Spaniard has been hospitalized for two months to be “detoxified” from a “serious behavioral addiction” after playing the online game Fortnite for “hours and days”.
- The teenager began to isolate himself more and more, going as far as refusing to interact socially and losing interest in his surroundings.
- The medical team implemented a multidisciplinary approach including cognitive behavioral therapy and working with him and his family to help him realize the effect of gambling on his life.
Video game addiction is not fiction. A 15-year-old Spaniard has been admitted to hospital for an expected two months due to an addiction to the online game Fortnite. According to an article in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrythe teenager had to be “detoxified” because of a “severe behavioral addiction” related to the video game.
Video games, not a problem in itself
In recent weeks, the behavior of the young man had changed. He had begun to isolate himself more and more, even refusing to interact socially and losing interest in his surroundings. To help him, the medical team implemented a multidisciplinary approach including cognitive behavioral therapy and working with him and his family to help the boy realize the effect of gambling on his life. “The results showed a significant decrease in game usage time, as well as an improvement in the patient’s personal and social functioning.”, welcomed the doctors.
The authors of the scientific article did not incriminate video games as a problem, pointing out that proper use can even be beneficial socially and educationally. “Video games could be therapeutic for some disorders”, they added. However, they insisted on the need to control their use and, by extension, that of screens by children. They advocate setting clear, well-defined boundaries and encouraging children to seek out other forms of entertainment. “Creating spaces for families to enjoy group activities and restricting devices in children’s bedrooms could help prevent behavioral issues resulting from gambling addiction”, suggested the researchers.
Fortnite, a game with high addictive potential
In their article, the authors looked specifically at Fortnite. They pointed to its addictive potential and specified that it could come from several factors. “These include the imposition of deadlines to complete each season’s challenges, the desire not to lose progress, and access to live streaming that allows others to comment on game techniques and strategies.”, they wrote.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes gambling addiction as “impaired control over gambling, an increasing priority given to gambling over other activities, and the continuation of gambling despite the onset of negative consequences.” A diagnosis requires a 12-month pattern severe enough to cause significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
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