Emotional consequences of video game addiction in adolescents.

Sometimes called "video game addiction", this phenomenon causes significant emotional exhaustion.

Video games are part of the life history of the new generations. Many people in their twenties and thirties have chosen this medium as a form of entertainment and, based on it, have created communities, strong bonds and memories worthy of recognition. There is no doubt that gaming has made its way into modern society as a form of entertainment in many facets, and proof of this are the thousands of people who make a living from this booming industry.

As with any form of entertainment that expands in society at a dizzying pace, it is normal for fears, concerns and fears to arise, especially on the part of parents who expose their children to this type of recreational activities. Ignorance implies mistrust and, therefore, being away from the field of video games may cause certain suspicions to appear.

Here you will find a summary of the emotional consequences of video game addiction in adolescents, and a reflection on this concept at a medical and psychological level..

What is an addiction?

We begin by laying the foundations: addiction is the dependence on substances or activities that are harmful to health or psychic balance. Defining an addictive condition is easy as far as drug use is concerned: for example, nicotine enters the patient's system, the neurotransmitter (GABA) is released, dopamine is released and a feeling of euphoria appears. Addictive mechanisms also develop through changes in the norepinephrine and glutamate systems, as these cause stimulant effects.

The problem lies in the fact that, when neurons are overexposed to the addictive substance, dopamine secretion is limited and the patient requires more and more doses of the substance to reach the same euphoric peak.. Thus a complex dependence mechanism develops, where the consumption of the drug must be increased more and more in quantity and time.

Is video game addiction an addiction?

The American Psychological Association (APA) publishes, from time to time, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Its fifth edition was published in 2013, and this document sets the standard for the diagnosis of disorders and their validity. According to the DSM-5, video game addiction, to date, is not yet conceived as a separate clinical entity..

There is not enough evidence to separate this possible addiction as a separate condition (as is the case with pathological gambling), although the APA recognizes that further research into possible video game dependence is needed to provide a more accurate diagnosis.

For example, studies have shown that there are convergent physiological activities between people who develop a dependence on this means of entertainment and those with abusive relationships with any substance. For example, it has been shown that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the orbital frontal cortex, the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and the thalamus are similarly activated in both patients. All these structures appear to play essential roles in the development of addiction.

In addition, it has been shown that those people "addicted" to video games feel anxiety when they cannot play, an event connected to the dopaminergic circuit, as happens with other drugs.as it happens with other drugs. For all these reasons and more, the World Health Organization (WHO) has included this disorder in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11).

The effects of video game addiction.

As we have seen, today video game addiction is not considered a disorder separate from the rest, but this does not mean that it will not be in the future or that it will not be part of a broader clinical picture. According to the APA, these are the following criteria proposed to quantify gaming disorder:

• The patient has constant preoccupations related to the activity of gaming.
• Shows behaviors of anxiety, irritability and sadness (withdrawal) when he/she cannot play or video games are taken away.
• Develops tolerance, i.e., needs to spend more time playing to satiate his craving.
• Even if he tries to stop playing for so long a day, he does not succeed.
• Stops doing other activities with the intention of playing more and more. Continues to play despite the problems this has brought him.
• Lies to other family members to cover up his addiction.
• Turns to video games to overcompensate for negative emotions, such as sadness or abandonment.
• Risks losing social or work relationships in order to continue playing.

All these diagnostic criteria have been proposed, but as mentioned above, they have not yet been accepted. Even so, it is possible that, in future revisions of the DSM, video game addiction will be included as a clinical entity of its own, due to similarities with other disorders.

If we operate on a scenario in which video game addiction is considered clinically relevant, all of these events could have a large number of consequences, all of these events could have a myriad of emotional consequences for adolescents who develop these problems.. For example, the constant preoccupation related to the activity of gaming could translate into reduced attention in the student environment and, therefore, a greater likelihood of academic failure. This, in turn, often leads to feelings of worthlessness and/or depression.

The home isolation that in many cases comes with playing video games could translate into a greater risk of social exclusion, which again, translates into various emotional imbalances: problems in self-esteem, sense of belonging, sense of meaning and emotional flattening.. All this could also have effects on the cognitive development of the isolated adolescent.

In addition, the chronic anxiety that this dependence could generate would translate into emotional fatigue, tiredness, somatization of symptoms and even some measurable physiological events. Cortisol (the stress hormone par excellence) has a clear immunosuppressive role, so it is normal for people with chronic anxiety to feel weaker and more susceptible to illness.

A final thought

We must be very careful when reporting on this type of ailment and, for this reason, we have used the conditional in these last lines (could, would, would). If the APA has not yet classified video game addiction as a disorder of its own, it is because there is not enough evidence of how negative it can be, so we cannot state its consequences outright.

For all these reasons, the world's scientists and psychologists have only one option left: to opt for a conservative approach and continue researching. If a person has problems with video games, he or she will require psychological help (just like any other patient), but the treatment will depend on each case and the opinion of the professional until the problem is solved. and the opinion of the professional until the practices and diagnosis of this possible clinical entity are standardized.