Understand gaming addiction, disorder about to be overcome by Theo in ‘Travessia’

In this last week of “Travessia” (Globo), the time has come for Theo, the young gamer played by Ricardo Silva, to overcome the obstacles brought by his strong dependence on electronic games, which he demonstrated throughout the plot. It is expected that the character responds well to the treatment he started and that he resumes living well with his family.

In real life, game addiction was classified as a disease by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022. Luiza Brandão, doctor in psychology at the University of São Paulo (USP) and researcher on the subject, explains that the problematic use of electronic games manifests itself when the activity begins to bring harm to the individual.

According to her, when the game goes beyond leisure and starts to invade other areas of life, it becomes problematic. “It is when there is a worsening in relationships, at work and at study, when the individual lies about the time he spends playing or tries to stop, but is unsuccessful”, she lists.

ALERT

In the soap opera, Theo spent the whole day in front of the computer and showed aggressive behavior when his parents tried to make him slow down. The psychologist says that, normally, it is even the family members who first notice the increasing proportion that the game starts to occupy in the life of the individual. “It doesn’t usually happen out of the blue. The individual becomes isolated”, she says. “Those who live with these people need to pay attention to the size of the problem.”

In another episode of “Travessia”, a crisis of the boy ends up causing a fire in the house. After the scare, Theo’s chip drops, and he recognizes his dependence, accepting to undergo treatment. The expert consulted by F5 says that, before an advanced stage, players usually have difficulty realizing that the situation goes beyond normal.

It’s not just the love of games that keeps the individual alienated. “Playing with friends, getting closer to people with the same interests, contributes to staying in front of the screen”, says Luiza. “In addition, the dynamics of the games, the competitive environment and the challenges with logical problems also stimulate growth in the universe. There are also cases of escapism, when the player wants to escape from real-life problems, such as bad living with his family or in the school environment.”

TREATMENT

According to the specialist, in general, the treatment is psychological and psychiatric follow-up. “The problem with digital games is closely associated with other psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety or socialization difficulties, so it is necessary to treat this other problem in order to improve addiction.”

To prevent it, it is necessary that, in the case of children and young people, parents regulate their time in front of screens and encourage outdoor activities, according to the booklet on child health of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics.