British Politician Suggests State-Funded Games Addiction Rehab

[Hevva]

British Politician Suggests State-Funded Games Addiction Rehab

Keith Vaz MP has recommended that the British government use state funds to treat people addicted to gaming.

Keith Vaz, British Member of Parliament for Leicester East and chairman of the very busy brains of internet addicts to those of people addicted to narcotics [http://www.parliament.uk/homeaffairscom], Vaz has called for people who spend unhealthy amounts of time gaming to be treated for their addiction on the UK's state-funded National Health Service (NHS).

Describing his position on the issue, Vaz said that he is "concerned" about the above-mentioned "your brain on the internet looks kinda like your brain on coke" research. "Much more research needs to be done on the potentially harmful effects of overexposure to the internet and video games," he continued.

"In the most extreme cases, people have neglected to feed their children and suffered fatal deep vein thrombosis as a result of the extended time spent at their computer or games console," added Vaz. "This needs to be recognized as a serious problem by the Government. Such behavior can destroy lives and treatment and support should be available as it is for any other lifestyle problem which impacts upon mental or physical health."

For gamers who are familiar with Vaz's past record (which includes a call for Parliament to protests against Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114654-British-Politician-Calls-for-Parliamentary-Debate-on-Videogames]) it's hard not to approach his announcement with skepticism.

Could his call hold any water, though? Like the United States, Britain already has considered [http://news.sky.com/home/showbiz-news/article/16045919] adding "video game addiction" to its list of disorders.

Asking that the already-stretched NHS foot the bill for treatment of a disorder that is yet to be clinically acknowledged in the fullest sense seems a bit of a stretch. Given the current climate of fiscal austerity in the UK, there's virtually no chance of Vaz's request being carried out in the near future. But does that mean it couldn't or even shouldn't happen in the distant future? Does someone who spends inordinate amounts of their time gaming constitute enough of a threat to his- or herself to warrant psychiatric care? It's interesting to think about; do let us know what you think.


Source: Huffington Post UK [http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/01/19/inernet-addicts-need-nhs-help-keith-vaz_n_1215184.html?ref=uk-tech]







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[Orcboyphil]

This is just too funny. After bankrupting the country and dragging us into US warcrimes a Labour politician wants to setup a clinc for a made up illness whilst real people with real disabilities and real problems are having all their benefits cut. Get with the program Mr Vaz, start trying to protect the services that are in threat of closure, protect the care homes and try to get carers a fair deal rather than make some lame point about gaming. Mr Vaz, ANYTHING can be addictive, its not just games, its TV, its food, its pop, its comics, its sticking your own head up a ducks bottom (though I'm afraid your the only known sufferer Mr Vaz).

 

[WWmelb]

Well to be honest, anything that takes a person so far that they ignore their basic survival instincts for extended periods of time, is a significant problem.

Is it gaming addiction that's the problem though? Or is gaming "addiction" the manifestation of other underlying psychiatric problems?

In theory : Good idea
In practice: I think it would be detrimental to most people who the public view as "gaming addicts".

EDIT *i don't know much about the current political state of the UK*

 

[Cipher1]

Isn't this the guy who was suspended from the house of commons as well as having been a part of several inquires and claimed a rather large amount on expenses?

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

A gaming addiction clinic would treat a symptom of something worse.
The person would still have a problem, it just wouldn't be expressed via spending all day and all night gaming.

Noone can deny that there must be something wrong with someone who would let their kid die because they couldnt step away from their WoW raid or their cabbage patch in Farmville... But the games arent what cause these issues.

People dont seem to understand you have to treat the cause.

 

[Formica Archonis]

Get with the program Mr Vaz, start trying to protect the services that are in threat of closure,

I know little about British politics but I imagine he, like all politicians, is doing this to protect the single most important thing that might lose government funding in the next few years: Himself.

 

[Blunderboy]

Keith Vaz, attention whore.

At least he's consistent I guess.

 

[the Dept of Science]

This is just too funny. After bankrupting the country and dragging us into US warcrimes a Labour politician wants to setup a clinc for a made up illness whilst real people with real disabilities and real problems are having all their benefits cut. Get with the program Mr Vaz, start trying to protect the services that are in threat of closure, protect the care homes and try to get carers a fair deal rather than make some lame point about gaming. Mr Vaz, ANYTHING can be addictive, its not just games, its TV, its food, its pop, its comics, its sticking your own head up a ducks bottom (though I'm afraid your the only known sufferer Mr Vaz).

The "yea, there's bigger problems to worry about" could apply to a vast number of worthy causes though. The thing that this guy is suggesting isn't going to be a massive drain on the economy, it probably just means a few specialists spread out through the country.
We already have therapists for other types of addicts, not just drugs and alchohol but sex and gambling as well. I don't see why we should treat people who use videogames to fill a hole in their lives differently from those who have had similar problems from sex or drugs. If there was a bunch of people who compulsively stuck their heads up ducks asses, then I think those people would need help.
He isn't saying that videogames are a problem*, just that people who have a problem with videogames need help.

*Ok, maybe he is

 

[darthotaku]

the human brain looks like it's on coke for quite a few activities. should we stop joggers to prevent "running highs"? yes, internet cumpulsion does exist, but we don't need specialists in it to solve the problem. I'm sure ten, fifteen minutes tops with a therapist could cure me of cumpulsive internet use.
this is a clear example of one generation panicing about another. the same thing happened with comic books, TV, movies, and hell, it probably happened with Shakesperian plays. there must have been some guy outside the theater saying they'd all got to hell for watching the play. this is no different.

 

[Ldude893]

How fitting. The moment I log out of the Escapist in an effort to stifle my internet addiction that's ruining my life, and I see this article.

He's right. Partially right, at least; video games aren't made to necessarily harm people, but the harm that it produces also extends to the internet. There are people out there with addictions to video games and the internet that are so bad that it wrecks their daily lives and ruins their relationships with people around them, and sometimes they're so ruinous that it takes psychiatric help to fix them. While the methods he's choosing can be questionable, he's right in the fact that there needs to be some sort of government assistance for these people.

Look at me, for example. I'm 17 years old, I'm six months away from graduation, two of my college apps probably mean nothing right now since I spent too much time procrastinating before deadlines and I finished them in a hurry, and the rest of my apps are hardly even started. My future's about to go down the drain, and here I am still bothering to type this when I've got an application to my art school to send in two weeks. It's my fault, I wasted my time and I allowed my addiction to make it happen.
I really doubt I'm the only person in a similar predicament.

So, while I'm not cool with Vaz's overall attitude towards games and I think he's probably just trying to save his own political career, he is correct when he says that computer (games and internet) addicts exist and need to be provided help.

There. My last post on this site for god-knows-when. Sayonnara.

 

[bunnykinodeath]

the human brain looks like it's on coke for quite a few activities. should we stop joggers to prevent "running highs"? yes, internet cumpulsion does exist, but we don't need specialists in it to solve the problem. I'm sure ten, fifteen minutes tops with a therapist could cure me of cumpulsive internet use.
this is a clear example of one generation panicing about another. the same thing happened with comic books, TV, movies, and hell, it probably happened with Shakesperian plays. there must have been some guy outside the theater saying they'd all got to hell for watching the play. this is no different.

very true: the government doesnt need to spend huge amount of money on new faculties or internet addiction centers, as if people have a problem with any kind of obscure phycological addiction, then they can just go get councelling (sometimes for free on the NHS). also, if somethings wrong with your health (mental or phsycal) you can just go to your GP, and they will tell you where to go or what to do. The UK already has a decent health service, so if the government want to spend money on health, why not spend it on something a little more useful; faster AnE would be good, but thats of the top of my head; im sure there are better suggestions than internet addiction centers to aid public health.

 

[bunnykinodeath]

Compared to his usual rantings about video games, I actually quite like this idea. As long as people aren't forced into it, having free treatment for internet addicts is a good thing. However, hell shall freezeth over before the Conservative government let the NHS spend more money. And the chance of a Labour re-election is looking pretty damn slim.

true, and painfully so; the Tories are terrible, but Labour has no leadership, though i totally agree with their keynesian economic policys. and, in my opinion, the tories only won by fear- the fear of a crushing debt on the UK econimy which would destroy britain, even though in reality we would have to borrow vast amounts more money than we have already before major probolems would arise.

 

[FamoFunk]

Will this Man just not go away?

 

[Weaver]

Will they admit foreign patients? I want to go so I have a good excuse to quit my shitty job.

 

[Thyunda]

But we don't have a problem with game addiction in this country, do we? I figured that game addiction was only a national problem in places like South Korea - not our technophobic United Kingdom.

 

[Blunderboy]

Will this Man just not go away?

Funny, I was thinking the same thing except about people who keep making idiotic claims that gaming can never ever bring anything even remotely harmful into anyones lives and that anyone who suggests this isn't the case is obviously just another Jack Thomson.

Are you bloody kidding me people?

He is trying to help people who suffer from gaming addiction, how the hell does this make him anti-gaming and an attention whore? (note that this is directed at the replies so far in general and just just the above quoted person)

Gaming has its downsides, and one of those downsides is gaming addiction. People should just bloody accept that instead of just bashing everyone who points that out because its the cool or trendy thing to do.

Because I suspect that he's not saying it because he wants to help, but because he wants the attention, and probably the opportunity to suggest that all gamers are addicts. If I'm wrong then I will gladly acknowledge that, but experience suggests otherwise.

 

[lacktheknack]

There's already a private clinic for people who need it, so why not leave that be and put your money into the more important government funded operations?