Study: Playing a Video Game Helps Teens Beat Depression

            The article Study: Playing a Video Game Helps Teens Beat Depression is an informative exposition on fantasy video games can helps teen to conquer depression as the same as attend a counseling session. The article suggests that the best way for teens to overcome depression is by playing video games. Apart from that, video games do helps to release tension after a hard day of work.

            In the article stated that video games are more often regarded as causes of mental illness than as cures, but in a new study, a specially designed fantasy game helped teens conquer depression just as well as — if not better than — usual counseling. Depression can be devastating among youths, yet fewer than 1 in 5 depressed teens are treated, in part because they are reluctant to seek a therapist’s help. When people with depression stop buying into ideas like “Everyone hates me” or “I’m a loser” and can recognize that these “GNATs” are not statements of fact about reality, but simply thoughts twisted by depression, it can stop the cycle of rumination that sustains the disease.  Nearly two thirds were girls, reflecting the greater prevalence of the disorder in women. Their average age was about 15. Half of the group was randomly assigned to play games, while the others were assigned to receive “treatment as usual,” which typically consisted of one-on-one counseling over five sessions. Interestingly, however, while 81% of the video-game players said they would recommend it to their friends, traditional therapy got a greater endorsement, with 96% recommending it to others. It is at least as good as treatment as usual, would be cheaper and easier to disseminate and could be used to increase access to therapy. It could provide access to treatment for young people who may be reluctant to have more conventional therapy. A similar technique may work for adults as well as teens. some research suggests that face-to-face therapy is important because of the supportive relationships that are forged between clients and therapists — the “active ingredient” in treatment — the success of computerized interventions suggests that perhaps that relationship is unnecessary. Although it’s clear that having strong relationships is critical to good mental health — and computerized treatments likely won’t prove to be adequate for depression if they don’t help people develop and maintain them — the current research suggests that onscreen treatment could bring relief to many teens, without the risks or stigma of antidepressant drugs or weekly therapy visits.

            The article was written by Maia Szalavitz who is a neuroscience journalist obsessed with addiction, love, evidence-based living, empathy, fertility and pretty much everything related to brain and behavior. Szalavitz is the co-author of Born for Love: Why Empathy is Essential — and Endangered (Morrow, 2010) and The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog (Basic, 2006), both with Dr. Bruce D. Perry. She is the author of Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids (Riverhead, 2006), the first book-length exposé of the “tough love” business. Her work has been published in TIME Magazine, the New York Times, Elle, Scientific American Mind, the Washington Post, New Scientist and Psychology Today, among many others. She is the winner of the American Psychological Associations Division 50 Award for Contributions to the Addictions.

            Games bring negative effects towards students such as lack of sleep and dizziness. However, recent study show that games can reduce stress. This is because students play games in order to overcome stress. Student’s life is very hard and adventurous, in order to maintain their mood and mind in active point. Furthermore, games makes student neglect their study and assignment assign by lecturer. However, students themselves know their responsibility as a student. They will finish up the assignment before playing games. After a hard day of study, then only they start to play games, to relax their mind and brain. Research shows that, if students too stress, it will affect their study and influence with their works. Lastly, playing games lead to waste of money and wasting time. Nevertheless, most games nowadays are online games. They no need to spend money to buy games like before, just click and register for free. Besides, game nowadays including educational idea and using English as a medium of communication. It is not a wasting of time because one can improve and learn English while play games.

            Games functional as same as counseling session to overcome depression. Many researchers has proved the claims as they found out that, student who play games was more productive than the one who is not. Most of them spend their free time to play games which is involved with strategy and need the brain to work efficiently. Moreover, games develop one brains based on the genre. Strategy games force the brains to think which strategies and plan can be used to counter the enemy. When one brains working, indirectly the cells of the brains connected between each other and make it more effectives. Chess set is considered as a game also, which need the skill of one to winning over the enemy. This type of games really helps to polish one skills of critical thinking. Lastly, playing games is one of the methods to relax one mind. If one is stressful, by playing games, it can overcomes the stress and let the brains to take a break. Experts states that playing games depends on the type of the games, some of games bring positive effects rather than negatives impact, choose which one u want.

            By reading this article, students would change their perception on playing games and will spend more time on gaming to overcome depression rather than do something insane. This article also helps to open general public eyes toward playing games. They will think and spend much time to find a relevance article about this in order to make sure it is proven and reliable. Some of them would not hesitate to play games if they stress rather than spending money to meet a counselor. Teenagers would continue play and play games when they know the result of playing games is positive but in the same time, would focus more on studies first before gaming.

            As a conclusion, playing games brings positive effects and can be apply by students and also adults to overcome stress and depression. Depression will lead to premature death which occurs frequently these days on students and teenagers. By hook or by crook, one needs to find a best way that suits them to overcome depression.