Depression in gamers

[An Gealt]

I read a few days ago that gamers are twice as likely to become Depressed compared to non-gamers. Does anyone feel that this is likely? In my experience it seems so but I want to know what everyone else in these forums thinks.

Edit: Could Everyone stop asking for the source of this as I don't know and it may not be reliable or even true

 

[wooty]

I do start to feel down if I play games too much, trying to balance things out is the best solution

 

[Irridium]

Well, considering what I hear people say online, I don't doubt it at all.

 

[hateeggs]

Proof that video games are bad for you!

 

[Julianking93]

Well, I'm frequently depressed and I'm a gamer, so this might actually be the fist negative game study to be true, but people play games because they either do it as a small hobby or because they have no friends.

They're depressed because they have no friends, games didn't make them that way.

And I want a link to this!!

 

[FactualSquirrel]

Well, it is proven that physical activity and sex helps to alleviate stress, one of the major players when it comes to depression. Most gamers are very lazy, ergo they are more likely to get depressed.

 

[TheNumber1Zero]

Wait what? Being a gamer will make me more likely to be depressed?

Now I'm sad...

 

[AkJay]

Proof that video games are bad for you!

Please go away.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

Show your sources sir.

Also i don't believe the games themselves make people depressed. My girlfriend has depression, anxiety as well as ADD. Games sometimes help her mellow after a hard day's work.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Correlation vs Causation goshdarnit!

More people who are depressed may play videogames, this does not mean that videogames cause depression.

I have depression, diagnosed and actual, and the very reason I play games is to alleviate depression, same as any of the other activities I partake in. It's cathartic for me.

 

[tomtom94]

I suppose video games probably do contain many depressing things, and someone else pointed out that physical activity helps alleviate depression.

However, this doesn't change the fact that this is scapegoating.

 

[Umberphoenix]

I'm not depressed, but then again I don't play games a lot.

 

[chozo_hybrid]

Yay, people from the outside looking into us gamers and think it causes more problems.

People get depressed, people play games. It does not mean there is any relationship between the two.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

Meh, I tend to feel depressed quite often, but I am Bipolar, so that explains that.
Ih hihihihihihihii!
I can believe that claim.

 

[Shaegor]

Well, I play a lot and I am mostly depressed, but I am depressed for non-gamer reasons.
WHAT DOES THIS MEEEAAAAN?

 

[ma55ter_fett]

It's that feeling you get after buying farcry 2 for 60 bucks... like suicidal.

or when you come to the end of mass effect 2 and mess up enough that you loose garrus

or when you finish a nax raid and nothing for your class drops for the whole raid

In all seriousness I think that stat is bogus.

 

[An Gealt]

And I want a link to this!!

I'm pretty certain it was in a book i read it but I'm not sure.
All I know is that I get depressed way too often and it just got me thinking is it cos (partly) I'm a gamer

 

[Sonofadiddly]

When I was younger I was in a constant state of mild to moderate depression, and video games served as an escape. Books worked just as well, though. Now that I'm better, occassional brief periods of depression cause me to lose interest in games. Not sure how that happened.

I would bet that a study like this is another example of correlation not meaning causation. Playing video games too much will make you groggy and possibly depressed, but the same goes for watching too much TV, reading too much, or staring at the wall all day. Moderation, people!