Research Reveals Pokemon Go Is Healthy For People With Depression

They say technology can also have an amazing role in benefiting human health.  It maybe weird hearing but a latest research conducted by Dr. John Grohol: the founder of Psych Central- mental health network confirms the mental health benefits received by the users of Pokemon Go across the world.

Dr. Grohol is a specialist and has been working for how technology impacts on a human’s behavior and their mental health for last two decades. He has been involved in various researches about the latest technology and tools designed for treating various psychological issues such as depression, anxiety and etc.

Though the article covers mental health benefits from Pokemon Go, the most interesting thing about this story is that Dr. Grohol has no personal experience with the game. During his research, he talked to different people who expressed their mental health benefits from playing the video game. Grohol has seen anything like this for the first time in his career and he thinks it is really unique.

A number of stories telling the game’s impacts on players’ mental health can be found on Twitter.  Plenty of users have lauded Pokemon Go saying it has helped them go out of the house and make it easier to interact with familiars and strangers in a similar way. According to Grohol, these steps may sound simpler but are worth for a person dealing with depression.

Demonstrating the positive impacts of the game, he said his research is not any hippo nonsense as the positive impacts on human behavior and moods go to 20 years back.  The research clearly indicates that the more a depressed person is active, the more chances he gets to reduce anxiety and Pokemon Go has helped them to become active. Moreover, it has been evidently worked as an anti depressant and has effected really well so far.

The research also reveals that Pokemon Go is most likely one of the helpful things people with anxiety can do and it is amazingly more beneficial to those not receiving other treatments for their mental health such as medicines.  

According to the Take This-an organization aiming to prevent suicide in the state, the industry of video gaming has appeared to be an attraction for people with different mental problems. Creativity and high education are the two factors that contribute to deal with an untreated mental problem and a video game really works for this.

And this is the point when Pokemon Go is lauded as a supportive tool to decrease anxiety, it must be clear that the game is not presented or portrayed to be a treatment for depression. However, it has cultivated healthy human behaviors.  Players just play the game and enjoy but never even think that it is helping them change their behavior and mood and it’s because it is not meant to change their moods.

Grohol said the way this game has been created; it actually helps toward reinforcement for players to get out of their house. It wonderfully motivates players to become more active in their surroundings, do some exercise, and interact with people.

“Despite of all benefits, Pokemon Go has offered to its players, the game certainly has some limitations and it is not an alternate of professional treatments. People should not take these types of games as a treatment of a serious mental illness. Several disorders such as chronic anxiety cannot be solely dealt with a video game”, he cleared.

However, Pokemon Go can be used as a great addition to other types of therapies like medicines and psychotherapy. Using it as a sole treatment to help depression is not recommended. “It can be an introductory phase to know how to take self-care but it isn’t a treatment. “ Grohol added.