I have a 19 year old brother who is quite unstable emotionally. He has wild mood swings - sometimes he's easy to get along with, other times it's almost impossible to talk to him without him getting angry and accusatory. It has gotten worse recently (in the last year), appearing to coincide with a newfound addiction to computer games, particularly MMORPG's. This is affecting his ability to function in normal society, and he has become increasingly introverted. Sometimes, when he's in a good mood, he admits that he has an addiction and needs to change, but most of the time he gets very defensive if anyone even asks an innocent question about his computer games. Are these symptoms of ordinary cyber addiction, or is it something more serious? How does one deal with it? My father, who is a little demanding, doesn't understand it and is at his wit's end. My brother would not willingly submit himself to psychiatric evaluation.

Not sure if it's a sign of deeper problems or not, but long story short... He enjoys the games and the feeling he gets while playing them. If you want him to stop the game playing (or, at least, limit it), you ought to try finding a replacement... Some alternative that gives a similar pleasurable exprerience. Some people do martial arts or other sports for the "good feelings" and endorphin rush that they get out the games.

 

The trick is to replace it with something else that provides a similar feeling of enjoyment.

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