'She peed in her pants but didn't pause the game'

Recently a 15yearold Mumbaibased girl was admitted to take counselling from a psychologist as she was addicted to playing an online game round the clock Explaining the severity of the case Dr Sagar Mundada a Mumbaibased psychologist said ldquoThe girl was so involved in the game that a few times she peed in her pants because she just wanted to play the game and was not willing to pause it She stopped studying attending classes and due to permissive parenting the parents couldnrsquot stop her from playingrdquoCitys mental health professionals have been constantly receiving mild to severe cases of online gaming addiction amongst teenagersDr Mundada added ldquoThere is an addiction to an extent that they are not sleeping at night If they are not allowed to play they start throwing things showing temper tantrums In a few admitted cases the teenagers were so addicted that they were eating their food while gaming and not even getting up to wash their hands before or afterrdquoIn another incident a teenage boy was admitted to BYL Nair Hospital as he injured himself because of the lsquoviolentrsquo game he played During the treatment at the hospital for his injuries the case was later referred to the hospitalrsquos psychiatry departmentDr Henal Shah head of psychiatry in civicrun BYL Nair Hospital said He was an obedient child and good in studies but during the pandemic he got into gaming and making groups for playing online across the world The parents didnrsquot know how to control the childrsquos addictionrdquoDuring the pandemic students of all age groups could easily access the internet and were hardly studying According to mental health experts the pandemic has caused an increase in the number of online game addiction casesAfter the initial months of the first nationwide lockdown because of Covid19 a study conducted by professors in AIIMS via an online platform was published in the Indian Journal of Public Health As per the lsquoImpact of lockdown following COVID19 on the gaming behavior of college studentsrsquo study of the 128 participating students 508 per cent reported that their gaming had increased during the lockdown The increase in gaming behavior was associated with examinationrelated stress and the belief that gaming helps combat stressThe Elseviers Science Direct research article published in December 2021 highlighted the impacts of the Covid19 pandemic on the increasing risks of childrens addiction to electronic games Of the total samples 289 children in the age group 6ndash17 years 8047 per cent showed increased risk of gaming addiction The UAE based research stated that addiction has caused various kinds of risks behavioral social psychological and health to the childrenLast month a Dadarbased teenager killed himself While the Mumbai police stated that online gaming addiction could be a major reason according to mental health experts it is important to conduct a psychological autopsy before blaming the game and to understand what triggered the teenagerDr Harish Shetty a Mumbaibased psychiatrist said ldquoWe need to look at the mental health of children A psychological autopsy is needed in such cases rather than jumping to the conclusion that the game has caused death It would give us more information about the child his behavior towards the game and all other aspects of the child To attribute that the lsquolast straw on the camels backrsquo to be the cause is not the right wayrdquoThe UAE study also indicated the need to take serious measures by educating parents to monitor the content of electronic games that their children play especially violent gamesDr Shah stated that they get a lot of gaming addiction cases in the hospital and all parents are not vigilant enough to check on their children While the cases in teens are mild to severe according to the mental health experts the parents should take responsibility for checking on their children and have restrictions on use of gadgets ldquoDue to addiction slowly they start investing monetarily in the games and also start making unknown friends across the worldrdquo Dr Shah saidDr Shah added ldquoWe should also understand the parentchild relationship and how good parents are in disciplining the child If the parents are authoritative then the children start rebelling The counselling treatment not only involves the child but also the parentsrdquoAs per the Science Direct research article symptoms of electronic games addiction include Attachment to electronic devices The childs unwillingness to play with other childrenThe childs unwillingness to go out in the open Changes in the childs temperament stubbornness convulsions and tension Academic negligence Finding a source of funds to play in video gym clubs Loss of appetite and weight lossSteps to prevent gaming addiction Reduce the number of hours spent playing online games Encourage parents to form a bridge of communication and constructive dialogue Check on the childs abnormal behavioral psychological and social patterns such as aggression violence lying physical stress academic delay introversion depression isolation from society social withdrawal