15 Minutes of Fame: Counseling people who happen to play games

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-13-2011 @ 1:29PM

rockychristine said...

I admitted to my therapist that I play WoW and how it's proven to be both an effective stress-buster and a good way of reordering my thoughts after a bad day. If I sit down and tank a few dungeons, suddenly I'm focused on something more immediate that I have a lot of control over, and it really helps me calm down and deal with things. I've met a lot of WoW players with serious mental health issues, and many of them report the same things about a productive outlet for stress and a way to deal with social issues and anxiety.

My therapist also mentioned that some of her other clients have mentioned video games and MMO's as ways of handling difficult things, and she has found more benefits and more of a community than she expected. Looking at gaming as both a problem and a solution is definitely something that mainstream psychology could benefit from- it's a really interesting multifaceted issue.

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