Psychosis Unmasked By Gaming- A Case Series

With easy accessibility and advancements in technology, there has been an upsurge in gaming. Players may neglect their real life, even using gaming as a medium to build self esteem. This has led to increased prevalence of gaming disorder. There is a dearth of literature regarding the interplay between gaming disorder and psychosis. Here, we present three cases where a prodromal history of progressively increasing time spent gaming was found to be followed by the emergence of florid psychotic symptoms. Gaming might act as a risk factor for precipitating psychosis. Individuals experiencing PLEs (Psychotic Like Experiences) have been shown to use the Internet for reality substitution. Mental Health Professionals should be aware of the threat that Internet Gaming Disorder provides to mental health. Irrespective of whether it is an etiology or consequence of the psychosis, it warrants treatment.