The telltale signs are ominous: teens holing up in their rooms, ignoring friends, family, even food and a shower, while their grades plummet and belligerence soars.

The culprit isn't alcohol or drugs. It's video games, which for certain kids can be as powerfully addictive as heroin, some doctors contend.

A leading council of the nation's largest doctors' group wants to have this behavior officially classified as a psychiatric disorder, to raise awareness and enable sufferers to get insurance coverage for treatment.

This weekend, the AMA will debate the report, which warns in particular about online games involving role-playing and never-ending quests — games like World of Warcraft, Everquest, or Final Fantasy.

Overuse most often occurs with online role-playing games involving multiple players, the report says. Blizzard Entertainment's teen-rated, monster-killing World of Warcraft is among the most popular.

Story

Thank god I quit WoW!

I can stop any time I want to!

shame you already threw 14k at a computer then hey...

a lot of current 'medical' and 'psychological' disorders are actually just normal human behaviours that are seen as detrimental to society so they've been medicalised to convince people that there is something 'wrong' with that and reduces the problem to a syndrome or disease. I'm thinking kleptomania, adhd, pms... they have nothing to do with medicine but society goes on pretending they do...

If they weren't addicted to WoW, it'd be something else. It's all about the personality types IMO.

Thank god I quit WoW!

LOL

You're playing LOTRO so it's exactly the same.

I think I have a porblem

I think I have a porblem

Leave porblem alone!

I think general internet addiction >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> game addiction.

Gaming is just another form of 'escapism' just like drugs, pr0n and grog etc.

It all depends on 'what's your poison?'

Thats why qgl is like an AA meeting for gamers.

pron is an escapism ? i thought it was for when you come home from a night out empty handed?

also dirty WoW addicts

Thats why qgl is like an AA meeting for gamers.

gamers? who here plays games at all?

Everyone has disorders, I use escapism to escape from those people. lol

Hi

My name is Superform

and i have been WoW free for 167 days

/applause

I love how you just come out with that statement as thought it was fact idol
it's really amusing

he's just baiting

feeeet!

Feet...

wait wtf?

lol feet

FEET

What in the hell happened to this thread o.O

if you don't have a disorder, you're f***ed up