psychiatrist

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  • Porn addiction more accepted than WoW?

    by 
    Shawn Schuster
    Shawn Schuster
    06.09.2008

    Would you say that in a normal conversation, if you were to bring up the fact that you're addicted to porn, that would be more acceptable than if you were to say that you're addicted to World of Warcraft? In a recent interview with Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist who specializes in internet addictions, he says that his clients are usually more shameful about a World of Warcraft addiction than a porn addiction. Block says, "As a society we understand that porn is something people do, and you can see a psychiatrist and get treated for it. But gaming is hard to describe to anyone else. So these people can't explain their situation to friends. In fact, it's hard to give you an example of what my clients talk about, because gaming is enormously complicated."One of the major problems that Block feels he can tackle better than other therapists is the fact that most therapists have no idea what a guild is or what it means to hit max level. For this reason, many times the players who feel they need professional help end up turning to the wrong resources such as online support groups rather than seeking true mental health professionals.[Via CVG]

  • Thompson mentally fit according to Dr. Wunderman

    by 
    Alexander Sliwinski
    Alexander Sliwinski
    08.22.2007

    Following the Florida Bar's option of seeking psychological testing or face a 91-day suspension, GamePolitics has the details of Jack Thompson seeing a psychologist on his own dime who said he is allegedly free of mental health issues. The analysis was done by a Dr. Wunderman and Thompson filed the psych. report yesterday to go with a pair of lawsuits he has against the Florida Bar.According to Thompson's psychologist Dr. Wunderman, "Mr. Thompson appears to be a thoughtful, prosocial and erudite man whose life is anchored, fortified and enriched by his Evangelical Christianity. I find no evidence that his faith distorts, clouds or impairs his personal or professional judgment." Wunderman during his analysis focused on if Thompson suffers from mental illness, if he's obsessed with porn and obscenity and if he's obsessed with stopping the sale of violent games to minors. "Obsessed" being a clinical term here and not what we'd all clearly say is obsession. Thompson also says he will try to cut down on his use of hyperbole and sarcasm in his motions and says he knows he may have offended with his writings. It'll be interesting to see if the Florida Bar asks for Thompson to see their own psychologist.