Gaming addiction to be added to DSM!?

Some of the worst, most psychologically maladjusted and not impaired, people I've tested have been on disability for years. Working, being around people/not isolated, seems to add a certain normality, like not fermenting in a jar of piss, aspect some people applying for disability don't seem to appreciate/understand. It's not working, but going for disability means: 1) the pay is terrible, 2) you may become more psychologically maladjusted (with varying degrees of insight).

A lot of this will be geared toward funding one way or the other.

Given the APA has no problem with signing off on letting people mutilate themselves rather than properly treating their delusion, them making a meaningless category that would equally apply to any other hobby seems par for the course with them being useless twats.

j00t said:

if insurance doesn't cover it, most likely they just hang up. and if there's no diagnoses, then insurance won't cover it.

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Ok, let's just raise everyones insurance rates by 15% so they can stay profitable while paying for people to get counseling for their video game dependencies. And then we can add television/etc to the lists too and get those people the help they need!

Origin said:

Tough subject. From my own 20+ years of heavy gaming, i'd say that gaming has fucked me in more ways than i can count. At times physically, because i was capable of eating 1 meal a day while playing (mostly EQ and WoW) 12-14 hours straight, but mostly academically... kuz ya kno, gotta get that FBSS from Frenzy even though i have an exam in a few hours and should at least gloss over my notes (lol what notes, i skipped 80% of my classes kuz said constant 12-14 hour sessions).

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Now try to honestly answer this: Was it because you were addicted to the games or was it because you just didn't care about school enough to miss out on doing something you enjoy. How is it any different than the people who go to college and spend all their time fucking everything that moves and/or partying 5 nights a week instead of studying? Do people really consider it a mental health issue/addiction when it comes to all the college kids who party for a year or two before flunking out and claim they just need treatment, they actually really wanted to learn and try hard deep down inside?

zombiewizardhawk said:

Ok, let's just raise everyones insurance rates by 15% so they can stay profitable while paying for people to get counseling for their video game dependencies. And then we can add television/etc to the lists too and get those people the help they need!



Now try to honestly answer this: Was it because you were addicted to the games or was it because you just didn't care about school enough to miss out on doing something you enjoy. How is it any different than the people who go to college and spend all their time fucking everything that moves and/or partying 5 nights a week instead of studying? Do people really consider it a mental health issue/addiction when it comes to all the college kids who party for a year or two before flunking out and claim they just need treatment, they actually really wanted to learn and try hard deep down inside?

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you seem to fundamentally misunderstand addiction.

zombiewizardhawk said:

Ok, let's just raise everyones insurance rates by 15% so they can stay profitable while paying for people to get counseling for their video game dependencies. And then we can add television/etc to the lists too and get those people the help they need!

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I'm pretty financially conservative, but I would gladly accept an increase in my insurance rates if I thought it would get people with addiction problems the help they need to get back on a productive path. Before you attribute this solely to my good nature, let me point out that the cost to tax payers of dealing with someone who can't function in society is going to be much higher then whatever it would cost to get them back on their feet. Health care, subsidized housing, support for their kids, prison and jail time, etc... are all major expenditures in our society. This is to say nothing of the harder to quantify costs of their lost productivity and the cascading effect that their failures have on their kids, who are more likely than not to wind up in similar situations.

Unfortunately, we do a terrible job of helping these people. Instead we throw them some money to keep them fed and clothed, give them triage style health care, and call it a day. They end result is a bunch of people who live on the fringes and cost us both directly and indirectly. I do want to help these people because it's the right thing to do, but there are plenty of practical and selfish reasons to do so as well.

j00t said:

you seem to fundamentally misunderstand addiction.

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Yea ok that must be it.

Why do video games need to be added to the DSM and treated the same as drug/alcohol addictions? Why are video games special to the point where other hobbies should not also be added? Do you only care about people who have video game addictions and not people who are addicted to pool or swimming or working out or watching television or studying or anything else? Should literally any possible activity be included in the dsm and qualify for insurance coverage of addiction treatment so that people can get the help they need at the expense of others?

Do you agree with Tolan, Xeq and co. on the need for socialist medicine and how it will actually work if we just do it?

edit: Better question.

Yes or no: Are individuals responsible for their actions?

zombiewizardhawk said:

Yea ok that must be it.

Why do video games need to be added to the DSM and treated the same as drug/alcohol addictions? Why are video games special to the point where other hobbies should not also be added? Do you only care about people who have video game addictions and not people who are addicted to pool or swimming or working out or watching television or studying or anything else? Should literally any possible activity be included in the dsm and qualify for insurance coverage of addiction treatment so that people can get the help they need at the expense of others?

Do you agree with Tolan, Xeq and co. on the need for socialist medicine and how it will actually work if we just do it?

edit: Better question.

Yes or no: Are individuals responsible for their actions?

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you are making a lot of assumptions here about treatment. i've answered what you've asked before, but i'll do it one more time. video games in general are not the issue. just like alcohol, in general, is not the problem. the problem is the alcoholic. the problem is the drug addict, the problem is the chinese kid in the internet cafe that doesn't come out for a week. it's not about villifying video games or any other hobby/profession/whatever. it's the behavior of the addict. if someone participates in an activity that is harmful to them on a social/emotional/physical level, then i think we should probably take a look at that.

i'm guessing i missed it, but i don't quite understand your specifics of "socialist medicine." are you talking actual medication? i'm a proponent for what works. in some cases that's medication. but not all. if you mean socialist in the sense that we as a society help those who are unable to help themselves? then yes. because we have matured as a species past euthanization. if you mean something beyond that, please clarify.

are individuals responsible for the own actions? yes of course they are. does making a poor decision preclude someone from receiving help?

my question back to you, why SHOULDN'T video games be added to the DSM? i mean, i understand you don't consider it the same thing and that's fine, but what will be the problem if it is added? what is your concern?

i'm genuinely curious as to your thought process on the matter, i don't want to come across as snarky or whatever so my apologies if that's the case.

ZyyzYzzy said:

Wow. I forgot how stupid you are.

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How? Did you accidentally put him on ignore for a while?

Khane said:

How? Did you accidentally put him on ignore for a while?

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That's what I was wondering.