Treatment

The Smith and Jones clinic in Amsterdam was the first treatment facility in the western world to offer a residential treatment program for obsessive/compulsive gamers. The Smith & Jones center has treated many problem gamers from all over the world. The Smith& Jones founder, Keith Bakker developed a treatment program that until now has proven highly effective in the treatment of problem gamers.

McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts has set up Computer Addiction Services under the direction of clinical psychologist Dr. Maressa Orzack. She was interviewed August 8, 2006, speaking of the game World of Warcraft she said, "I'd say that 40 percent of the players are addicted. Note that the 40 percent figure was not derived from a scientific study overseen by Dr. Orzack, but rather came from "a forum that Nick Yee runs". She added that "even if the percentage is 5 to 10 percent which is standard for most addictive behaviors, it is a huge number of people who are out of control."Ars Technica interview with Dr. Orzack, 8/9/2006 According to Dr. John Grohol, a colleague of Orzack's, "Dr. Orzack is not claiming that up to 40% of World of Warcraft gamers are addicted based upon any actual evidence or surveys of players. This is just her opinion, based upon her own experience and observation of the problem."PsychCentral - John M. Grohol, Psy.D., August 10, 2006

A new clinic in Amsterdam treating video game addiction has been "overwhelmed" with people seeking treatment.

At one addiction support center in Richmond, Canada, excessive gaming accounts for 80% of one youth counsellor's caseload.