Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Game over!?

When does a compulsive habit become an addiction? When does a type of behaviour begin bordering on obsession? These and other such questions were pondered over at the American Medical Association’s annual policy meet recently. On the crosshairs of the AMA were video games and their possible addictive side-effects. Apparently, AMA has been trying to get video game addiction declared a psychiatric disorder by petitioning American Psychiatric Association to include it in their mental illness manual. This move comes amidst growing fear amongst parents, of the alleged harmful effects of video games on children. “I’ve seen children barely 6- 7 years old showing signs of compulsive behaviour, not performing their age-appropriate responsibilities, neglecting studies and outdoor play, just to play video games”, says Dr. Jitendra Nagpal, Consultant Psychiatrist, Vimhans Hospital. Although not yet proved an addiction, video games have been getting more than their share of attention from young, predominantly male, minds.
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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

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