Mental health enters a new frontier

As children across China have begun their summer vacation, many parents are bracing for a familiar battle: competing with smartphones and video games for their children's attention.

That anxiety is precisely what Pixar's latest animated blockbuster Toy Story 5 captures in one memorable scene. A group of toys climbs onto rooftops and peers through windows, only to find children in every home glued to screens, their thumbs constantly scrolling while the toys sit forgotten in the corner.

For many Chinese families, that fictional scene feels increasingly close to reality.

To help parents cope with the challenge, Beijing Huilongguan Hospital — the first hospital in China to establish a family-oriented ward dedicated to treating gaming disorders — published a science-based guide on its official WeChat account on July 2, encouraging parents to read it before the summer break.

The move reflects the growing recognition of excessive gaming as a mental health issue. In 2018, the World Health Organization released the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), recognizing gaming disorder as a behavioral addiction.

According to the WHO, the ailment is identified as a condition that must be severe enough that it results in significant impairment to a person's functioning in personal, family, social, educational, occupational, or other important areas, and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months.

In other words, excessive gaming is not simply a matter of poor self-control. For some people, it is a medical condition that requires professional treatment.

For An Jing, a housewife in Hebei province, that distinction is painfully personal. Her 16-year-old son has become completely immersed in the online world, eventually taking a year off from school. He has reversed his day-night schedule, developed irregular eating habits, and spends nearly all his waking hours playing games, watching TV, or scanning smartphones. "When I see children carrying schoolbags on the street, I can't help but cry. But little by little, I've gotten used to it," An says.

Although many parents like An feel they are confronting a relatively new problem, the medical community began taking it seriously years ago.

Yang Kebing, chief physician and director of the hospital's Addiction Medicine Center, tells China Daily that he vividly remembers the period when the WHO gathered experts from around the world to evaluate whether gaming disorder should be included in the ICD-11.

"As discussions intensified, we realized this was becoming an increasingly serious issue," Yang says.

Drawing on years of clinical observation and research, the hospital opened China's first specialized behavioral addiction ward on May 21, 2019 — four days before the ICD-11 was formally adopted by the 72nd World Health Assembly.

Located near the hospital's north gate, the facility — also known as Inpatient Ward 29 — hardly resembles a traditional psychiatric ward. Reminiscent of the courtyards nestled in Beijing's hutongs, this single-story compound features a ping-pong table and four swing chairs, creating a relaxed atmosphere. The patient rooms are arranged around the courtyard, while the treatment rooms feel more like recreation spaces, such as a board game room and a mini karaoke booth.

"Normally we have 13 beds, but the ward can accommodate up to 15 or 16 patients if necessary," Yang says.

The ward evolved from an alcohol dependence unit established in 2008. As internet use became widespread and gaming-related problems increased, the hospital expanded its focus to behavioral addiction.

"Based on our clinical experience, about half of our patients are addicted to the internet or online games, and most are between 12 and 20 years old. The other half are mainly patients with other addictions such as alcohol dependence," Yang says.

One teenager left a lasting impression on him. Obsessed with online games, the boy repeatedly fought with his parents, shouted at home, disturbed neighbors, and eventually dropped out of school. His parents ultimately brought him to the hospital against his will. After spending two weeks in a closed ward to disconnect from the internet, he was transferred to the behavioral addiction ward for psychotherapy and medication.

Yang also recalls one of the ward's most successful recoveries — a 32-year-old man who lost his job because of excessive mobile gaming. Admitted shortly after the ward opened, he gradually regained control of his life through treatment.

Years of clinical practice have also reshaped Yang's understanding of the disorder. "Pure gaming disorder is actually uncommon. About 70 percent of our patients also have other psychiatric conditions, such as depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, or anxiety disorders," he adds.

For Yang, however, the work brings more responsibility than recognition. He entered the Department of Mental Health at Beijing Medical University — now Peking University Health Science Center — in 1994, receiving comprehensive training in internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, neurology, and psychiatry before joining Huilongguan Hospital in 1999.

Looking back over more than two decades, he has witnessed a quiet but profound shift in public awareness of mental health.

"When I first came here, we saw only a few dozen outpatients a day," he says. "Now, treating more than 1,500 patients a day has become routine at our hospital."

As the interview draws to a close, two nurses hurry over, carrying a new case file. Before there is time to exchange a proper goodbye, Yang is already discussing the patient's condition. It is a brief but telling scene: in the time it takes to say farewell, another family's struggle has already become his next mission.