The NHS Plans to Tackle New Found AddictionÂ
The United Kingdom’s Nation Health Service (NHS for short) plans on opening up a clinic to help those who are supposedly dealing with an addiction to video games. This new clinic will be called the Centre for Internet and Gaming Disorder. It will be the first of its kind in the UK.
This new clinic will exclusively treat or diagnose patients who are ages 13-25, both male and female. This clinic has been brought about in order to help people with their apparent addictions to video games, phones, the internet, and social media. Essentially anything involved with technology.
The clinic will be staffed with a myriad of health professionals. Clinical psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, mental health nurses, and therapists will all be there working in tandem with your regular doctor. Treatments can take place in person or ironically over the internet using programs such as Skype.
The Cheif Executive Simon Stevens for the NHS said, “This new service is a response to an emerging problem, part of the increasing pressures that children and young people are exposed to these days.” While Stevens has a clear interest in helping those who are suffering from addiction. He also pointed his finger at tech companies. Calling the behavior of these large corporations as predatory.
What exact treatments that the patients will undergo is not known at this time. Secrecy among these sort of clinics are not uncommon. There are similar institutions in the USA that claim to treat video game addiction as well. However, since the NHS is a public service we will inevitably find out exactly goes on behind closed doors.
Please let us know your opinion on video game addiction. Do you know anyone who suffers from it? Or is it being blown out of proportion?