Support services and specialist treatment for gaming disorder

Support services that can be accessed by patients directly include:

  • Headspace—offers 17 to 25 year-olds counselling (online, by phone and in-person) and online chat forums with professionals and peers.
  • Online Gamers Anonymous and Internet Addicts Anonymous—offer 12-step peer support for people of any age, including online chat forums, meetings and other resources to support the person and those close to them.
  • Game Quitters—offers a range of resources for people who play video games and those close to them, including videos, podcasts and support groups.

Contact details of gaming support services are available in a printable table.

Where available, offer people experiencing harm from gaming (theirs or others) referral for specialist treatment to address the gaming concerns and any comorbid psychiatric conditions. Specialist practitioners include psychiatrists, psychologists or addiction specialists, ideally with expertise in adolescent mental healthLoton, 2016.

Evidence for psychological approaches in gaming disorder is limited but increasing; their use is based on their effectiveness in gambling and in disorders of substance useLoton, 2016. Treatment for a person with gaming disorder uses techniques such as motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT has the most evidence for its useWolfling, 2019. Elements of CBT include guiding a person toKing, 2010:

  • track the extent of their gaming (to challenge denial)
  • examine their thoughts about gaming
  • challenge and replace thoughts that facilitate or promote gaming.

Family therapy has had very limited study but has shown promise; this focuses on increasing communication, building relationships and increasing shared activities outside of the homeKing, 2018.

If a person with gaming disorder is not willing to engage with a specialist service, it may still be possible for a service to support the other family members or significant others to effect change using strategies such as contingency managementRiley, 2022.

No drugs are recommended for use in gaming disorder. The antidepressant bupropion has been studied in most depth, but reports have small numbers, short follow-up and lack placebo controlsZajac, 2017. Naltrexone1 is also being studied for gaming disorder, based on its use in other conditions such as alcohol dependenceSaunders, 2018.

Services that may assist in locating treatment resources include:

1 Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist (not to be confused with naloxone, which is used to reverse opioid overdose) and is approved for long-term treatment of alcohol dependence.Return