A study by NIMHANS has shown a definite trend towards positive association of psychological disturbances (depression, anxiety and stress) and Internet gaming.

People addicted to Internet gaming have been frequently observed to experience psychological disturbances. The amount of time spent playing online games is seen to have positive correlation with depressive symptoms. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified gaming disorder as a mental health condition.

A study by NIMHANS has shown a definite trend towards positive association of psychological disturbances (depression, anxiety and stress) and Internet gaming.

Manoj Kumar Sharma, additional professor, SHUT (Service for Healthy use of Technology) clinic at NIMHANS, said 21-year-old Raghuveer Kumbar could have taken the extreme step because of the comorbid psychological changes that he would have developed due to gaming addiction.

“Although gaming addiction (disorder) is seen in a small population now, it is likely to be a major mental health problem in the coming years. Most cases that we have studied exhibited psychosocial and behavioural changes affecting their daily activities. Such people not only develop physical health problems such as disturbance in sleep patterns and eating habits, but also develop psychological problems that become a major concern for family members,” he explained.

Parents and caregivers should communicate with their wards and help them engage with offline activities. “Recognising the signs of addiction, psychological distress or behavioural changes in their children, parents should motivate the users to seek help or meet a doctor to know behavioural methods to manage risky situations,” he said.

Vinod Kulkarni, senior psychiatrist and head of Hubballi-based Manas Institute of Mental Health, said gaming addiction is a serious problem and is growing across age groups. “We are observing an increasing trend in gaming addiction and several cases are being reported across regions. Most of them are under our treatment,” he said. “Apart from treating individual patients, the government and civil society groups should also organise awareness programmes for youths in schools and colleges as well as for parents,” he added.