Too Much Video Gaming Not Addiction, Yet
Wednesday, June 27, 2007; 7:20 PM
CHICAGO -- The American Medical Association on Wednesday backed off calling excessive video-game playing a formal psychiatric addiction, saying instead that more research is needed.
A report prepared for the AMA's annual policy meeting had sought to strongly encourage that video-game addiction be included in a widely used diagnostic manual of psychiatric illnesses.
  Joyce Protopapas, poses at her home in Frisco, Texas, Wednesday, June 20, 2007, by a computer with the web site of the support group On-Line Gamers Anonymous on the screen. Protopapas says video and Internet games transformed her son, Michael, from a courteous, outgoing, academically gifted teen into an aggressive, reclusive manipulator who flunked two 10th grade classes and spent several hours day and night playing a popular online video game. A leading council of the American Medical Association now wants to have this behavior officially classified as a psychiatric disorder, to raise awareness and enable sufferers to get insurance coverage for treatment. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam) (Donna Mcwilliam - AP)  
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AMA delegates instead adopted a watered-down measure declaring that while overuse of video games and online games can be a problem for children and adults, calling it a formal addiction would be premature.
"While more study is needed on the addictive potential of video games, the AMA remains concerned about the behavioral, health and societal effects of video game and Internet overuse," said Dr. Ronald Davis, AMA's president. "We urge parents to closely monitor children's use of video games and the Internet."
Despite a lack of scientific proof, Jacob Schulist, 14, of Hales Corners, Wis., says he's certain he was addicted to video games _ and that the AMA's vote was misguided.
Until about two months ago, when he discovered a support group called On-Line Gamers Anonymous, Jacob said he played online fantasy video games for 10 hours straight some days.
He said his habit got so severe that he quit spending time with family and friends.
"My grades were horrible, I failed the entire first semester" this past school year because of excessive video-game playing, he said. "It's like they're your life."
Delegates voted to have the AMA encourage more research on the issue, including seeking studies on what amount of video-game playing and other "screen time" is appropriate for children.
Under the new policy, the AMA also will send the revised video-game measure to the American Psychiatric Association, asking it to consider the full report in its diagnostic manual; the next edition is to be completed in 2012.
Dr. Louis Kraus, a psychiatric association spokesman, said the report will be a helpful resource.
The AMA's report says up to 90 percent of American youngsters play video games and that up to 15 percent of them _ more than 5 million kids _ might be addicted.
