Would you say this is mental illness?!
Question: My friend lives her entire life on her computer. She neglects her house, her children and her husband has left. She spents up to 16 hours a day living in a game where she has the perfect body, the perfect house, lots of money, the perfects friends - i find it all alittle to weird. She just says she prefers fantasy to reality and everyone in the game has something missing in their real life.
Answers: My friend lives her entire life on her computer. She neglects her house, her children and her husband has left. She spents up to 16 hours a day living in a game where she has the perfect body, the perfect house, lots of money, the perfects friends - i find it all alittle to weird. She just says she prefers fantasy to reality and everyone in the game has something missing in their real life.
I think the computer can make a depressed person think he or she is not isolating when in fact, conversation via a chat based Internet game, Yahoo IM, AIM, etc. does not replace human to human interaction. I suspect that she feels that her life isn't what she wanted it to be and the game allows her to live what she always wanted to live. Coming back to the disappointment of reality (even when you have beautiful children) means realizing you lost your dreams somewhere. The game makes realizing those dreams so much easier. (I'm stll not sure what the game is, but I could probably make a couple of guesses.) The fact is, if the house is a danger to the children, they aren't fed, clothed, bathed or given affection, or if they are at risk for illness or injury, she may lose them for neglect. She needs to focus on her duties to them as their mother before she even thinks of turning on the computer. Once she has the family taken care of, losing herself in perfection for a bit isn't going to hurt--so long as she is aware of the children's needs continuously throughout her bliss. Perhaps she should plan her escape for after the kids go to bed.
ETA: I have to say, I spent quite a bit of time in SL. I still have my perfection there and love the people I met through it. But during a conversation with many of them, we discussed that the people in there (that we knew) were using the game as an escape from what was wrong in reality. Now I have a beautiful reality and when I do log on there I have a beautiful fantasy. It's better to have the best of both worlds than just the best of one (which is all virtual and seperates you from the joy of watching your children grow and color and do really silly things).
BTW: I ask that, if you suspect child abuse, neglect, etc. from anyone that you report to the police and not to Child Protective Services. If the police investigate and deem that your report is correct then they will get CPS involved. However, CPS tends to move on rumors and strip children from families that are loving and could stay together, causing further trauma to the children. Please always go through law enforcement first. Thank you.
Is it the sims?
Bloody friggen' addicting.
Yes. It sounds like serious addictive behavior. She needs help. Especially since she has kids who are depending on her (solely it sounds like).
I say this is child neglect and some mental issuses yes! There is nothign wrong with escaping reality from time to time but she needs to be there at some point!
Sounds like a classic case of addiction to world of warcraft.
As long as she knows its just a fantasy i would say no.
being a computer geek doesn't mean she has a mental illness.
it's addiction.
just because she has a lot of money and all the perfect crap you want doesn't mean SHE acts like it's sooo important like you do.
not a mental illness... but an addiction, shes neglecting her own life to live a better fake one, steal the game from her.... btw which game is it?
this is just obsessive compulsive and if she likes this game rather than real life, then you should just leave her at it and let her finally realize, if ever, that she is wasting her life.
I'm not sure if this is considered mental illness or just an addiction. Try to get her help or she will definitely regret this when she wakes up and gets back to reality!
Your friend is clearly depressed an clearly needs help beyond that which can be provided by random strangers on the internet. Urge her to see a doctor. He children are at risk of becoming severely screwed up adults. My mother didn't live on a video game put she too battled depression. It was a hard burden to bear when I felt I had to suppress my own feelings to protect hers. For her own sake and for the future of her children, as her friend, make her get help, even if she hates you for it.
I think your friend needs immediate psychiatric help because she admits she prefers fantasy to reality and her children are neglected. If the neglect is serious, she should be reported to Child Protective Services. You are right. Her behavior is not normal.
I would say yes. She needs to get away from the puter and get what it is that is missing in her life in reality. Or perhappes she plays the game becouse she is overwhelmed with what is in her life. In that case she needs to get away from her puter and start clearing the skeletons so to speak in her reality. It's sad that the puter is abused in such a way but it can be very addicting.
ocd,
obsesive compulsive disorder.
I wouldnt say its a "mental illness" like schyzophrenia or anything like that, but she sounds like she could use some help.
It is very sad and immature but probably not certifiably mentally ill....
if its realy that bad then yeah internet addiction also probaly depressed
it's an addiction, which could be related to a mental illness. if she prefers fantasy to reality, she is not happy with her life. she needs an intervention. call a therapist and set something up.
it really is serious. i had a friend who went through the same thing. he's good now and she can be too
i wouldn't call it a mental illness more as an addiction she should stop living in the game and come to life. a walk down the guilt trip would do her good. just tell her about the things she's missed out on like her husband and kids. this will hurt you and her but in the long run it will help her. and she will acknowledge you and thank you for what you did
yes. She needs to evaluate her situation and realize what is real and what is fantasy.................Un-plug her computer for a week and then see how she acts...lol