The boy was not under the administration of NIMHANS when he fled and running away is a habit of the boy, police said.
Police are yet to trace the 17 year old boy who ran away from the canteen of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) on Monday, Dec. 11. He was admitted to the psychiatric hospital on Saturday for the treatment of online gaming addiction.The boy fled when he was being transferred from the hospital. Police is still searching for the boy..
According to the police reports, the boy was brought to the hospital under the administration of the NIMHANS in Bangalore by his family from Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh for treatment on Dec. 4 2023.
After treatment, he was referred to the Indira Gandhi Hospital and discharged from NIMHANS. He was subsequently reported missing when he ran away while being escorted to the canteen in the hospital premises by his grandmother.
“He has been habitual in running away,” said constable Chetan K.V of the Siddapura Police Station, where the FIR was filed by the boy’s parents regarding his disappearance.
“He has been reported missing at least three to four times when he lived in Andhra Pradesh and he usually calls his grandfather after two days when he runs away. We’re still looking for him,” Chetan said.
The boy was discharged from the NIMHANS hospital and NIMHANS officials insisted that he was not under their official care when he was reported missing.
Dr Vivek Benegal, a professor of psychiatry at NIMHANS hospital said,“He did not run away. He was discharged.”
The boy was brought to Bangalore by his family due to his addiction to online mobile games which is a common phenomenon among adolescents from the ages of 14-17.
“Online gaming addiction is often perceived as spending a lot of time on video games. But time is not a measure of addiction,” a junior researcher at NIMHANS said.
“It is only classified as addiction if it fulfills the criteria of the four key elements namely, compulsion, loss of control, frequent cravings and serious consequences, such as the activity affecting your social life, your relationships, your mental health and other important aspects of your personal life,” she elaborated.
She further said that gaming addiction is often a consequence of other underlying issues as gaming is seen as a form of escapism and thrill seeking.
“Many turn to video games as a way of avoiding dealing with issues like academic pressure, family issues, bullying but also quite often due to other undiagnosed mental health issues such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or depression and anxiety,” she added.
According to researchers, online gaming disorder is widely accepted as a genuine disorder by organisations like the International Classification Of Diseases (ICD) and World Health Organisation (WHO). Parents may also unintentionally enable or introduce video game addiction to their children by using video games as a bartering tool to obtain academic diligence and responsibility from their children.
“It is much more preferable to use non technological rewards such as travel. Or encouraging children to adopt sports or arts and culture as recreational activities,” said the junior researcher.
