Help your child overcome gaming addiction.

More and more children and teenagers are becoming engrossed in video games, leading to emotional disturbances, irritability, restlessness, and difficulty stopping. These manifestations are becoming a warning sign of the psychological, health, and academic consequences for children and teenagers.

Doctors at the Provincial Psychiatric Hospital are advising family members of patients regarding mental disorders caused by gaming and internet abuse.

Recently, 14-year-old PMQ from Sao Vang commune was brought to the Provincial Psychiatric Hospital by his family due to erratic mood swings, irritability, and loss of behavioral control after a long period of online gaming. Q.'s mother recounted: "At home, he just stays in his room, refuses to wake up, and constantly skips meals. Some days he plays on his phone until morning before going to sleep. When his parents remind him, he gets angry, breaks things, and then goes back to playing."

Q. started playing video games in the 7th grade, initially just for entertainment. But the more he played, the more he became engrossed in the matches, the feeling of winning and losing making it hard for him to stop. His family tried everything: confiscating his phone, setting passwords on his computer, installing cameras, even corporal punishment, but Q. always found a way to continue playing. Unable to play at home, he skipped school to go to internet cafes. More than two years immersed in games left Q. emaciated, pale, with erratic behavior, and increasingly withdrawn. When Q. started suffering from insomnia, becoming irritable, arguing, and even hitting his mother whenever she tried to stop him, his family had no choice but to take him to the Provincial Psychiatric Hospital.

After directly examining Q., Master's degree holder and doctor Nguyen Thi Phuong stated that she was diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders and sleep disorders due to online game abuse. In the first few days of hospitalization, Q. was always restless, agitated, withdrawn, and occasionally mildly agitated. After a period of treatment with psychiatric medication combined with psychotherapy, Q. ate more regularly, slept more soundly, and began to converse with people.

According to Dr. Phuong, the number of patients seeking treatment for disorders related to game and internet abuse has been increasing rapidly recently, with many cases involving middle school and even elementary school students. Some students suffer from prolonged insomnia, anxiety, and declining academic performance; only after thorough questioning by the doctor do parents discover that their children have been secretly playing games all night during the holidays.

One case that haunted doctors was that of an 8th-grade boy from Ngoc Lac, who was admitted to the hospital weighing just over 20kg because he stopped eating to play video games. Sitting in front of the screen for hours on end caused his body to become severely weakened: blurred vision, back pain, stiff joints, and completely disrupted sleep patterns. Children addicted to games often withdraw, avoid social interaction, and limit physical activity; their socio-emotional skills develop slowly, while this is a crucial stage in personality formation. For children already at risk of mental illness, game addiction can even trigger the condition, leading to depression, suicide, or exhaustion.

Beyond its impact on health, gaming addiction can also trigger deviant behavior in teenagers. Several heartbreaking cases recently have revealed the dark side of the virtual world : children lose sight of right and wrong, fail to distinguish between reality and fantasy, and engage in behaviors dangerous to society. Five years ago, Ha Trung district was shaken by the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Tong Duy N.; the perpetrator confessed to committing the crime due to gaming addiction and a need for money. Less than a month later, in Yen Dinh district, three teenagers murdered a woman to get money for gaming. These cases raise a troubling question: what causes these children to lose control?

In June 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially classified internet and gaming addiction as a mental disorder, characterized by prolonged, repetitive, and uncontrollable gaming behavior. According to Dr. Le Bat Tan, Director of the Provincial Psychiatric Hospital, although comprehensive statistics are not yet available, actual cases show that teenagers are the group most susceptible to gaming. At this age, the brain tends to seek new sensations more strongly than self-control, while hormonal fluctuations make them easily emotional, wanting to assert themselves, and vulnerable if they lack understanding from family and school. Therefore, many children turn to games – especially role-playing games – as a way to compensate for emotional needs and temporarily escape the pressures of real life.

The treatment process for gaming-related disorders at the Provincial Psychiatric Hospital prioritizes emotional stability and behavioral adjustment over medication. The first step is breaking old habits – from gaming time and daily routines to emotional responses. After breaking the old behavioral cycle, the team of doctors and psychologists will guide the children towards a new lifestyle through cognitive-behavioral therapy, individual counseling, and emotional training. Dr. Tan emphasized: “We not only help them stop playing games, but more importantly, we help them rebuild their living habits, learn to control their emotions, reintegrate into real life, and find other healthy sources of joy.”

However, "detoxification" is only the first step; the recovery phase is the biggest challenge. After being discharged from the hospital, many children are very susceptible to relapse if they return to their old environment without the supervision and support of their families. Therefore, parents need to manage screen time appropriately; and at the same time, build a healthy lifestyle for their children by increasing physical activity, creating opportunities for social interaction, and reducing unnecessary stress. Children also need monthly check-ups to closely monitor their mental health and prevent the risk of relapse. In particular, when children show signs such as insomnia, irritability, withdrawal, loss of appetite, or uncontrolled gaming, parents must take them to a medical facility as soon as possible for examination and timely intervention.

Gaming addiction isn't just a problem for one child; it's a common challenge for society in the digital age. Games can't be eliminated from children's lives, but they need guidance on using them responsibly and within reasonable limits. Prohibitions, scolding, or confiscating devices rarely work. Only through the companionship, listening, and proper guidance of adults can children overcome dependence and build healthy technology usage habits.

Text and photos: Tang Thuy

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/giup-con-cai-nghien-game-287815.htm