The UK's National Health Service opens a gaming addiction clinic

The UK's National Health Service opens a gaming addiction clinic

Computer gaming addiction, especially among young people, has been of great interest lately. This situation is taken seriously in the UK, where the country's National Health Service opened the first specialized clinic to treat those whose ongoing games negatively affect their lives.

According to The Guardian, the service was designed to help people between the ages of 13 and 25 whose quality of life is affected by the number of hours they spend playing games. As part of the National Center for Behavioral Addiction in London, patients referred by their doctors can attend in person or conduct online consultations using Skype.

 Said Simon Stevens, CEO of the National Health Service in England. "Health needs are constantly changing, which is why the NHS should never stand still. This new service is in response to an emerging problem and is part of the increasing pressure that children and young people are experiencing these days."

 In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) began the process of recognizing "game disorder" as a medical condition and was later included in the ICD-11 beta. In May of this year, it was officially added to the Dictionary of Diseases. WHO defines infected people as being unable to control the onset, frequency, severity, duration, termination and context of their gaming habit, and giving increased priority to playing games over life's concerns and other daily activities.

 Earlier this year, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said his company needs to take seriously gaming addiction and adopt countermeasures. This came after hearing a British investigation from former addicts who talked about the dangers of playing games excessively.