Amid the spread of smartphones and requests for people to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of consultations and visits to medical institutions and recovery facilities for "gaming disorder" is increasing — especially among children and young people.
Medical institutions are responding by establishing specialized outpatient departments and securing hospital beds. As is the case elsewhere, the number of patients is also increasing in Kyushu.
Of the 248 patients age 18 or under at Nozoe General Psychiatric Hospital in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, who were hospitalized due to bullying or abuse in fiscal 2021, 26% had symptoms of "gaming/internet addiction" — up 18 percentage points from five years earlier.