New technologies bring along new diseases?

Regarding technological development, there is always a risk for the emergence of so far unknown illnesses and conditions. New types of diseases might appear due to the excessive use of virtual reality solutions, video consoles or smartphones. Examples include virtual post-traumatic stress disorder (v-PTSD), which might be the diagnosis for gamers who participate in large virtual battles wearing VR masks (such as Call of Duty) and experience similar symptoms as those soldiers who fought in real wars.


Plus, video-game epilepsy, in fact, is well-documented and the subject of a recent trial which found that video games, in particular, were more likely to provoke seizures in subjects with photosensitive epilepsy than standard television programs, even if the same screen is used for both. Moreover, researchers also talk about Wii-related injuries lately, which stem from the name of Nintendo’s wireless computer console, Wii, which brought along a more physically-oriented gaming experience. But our personal favorite is the so-called ‘text neck‘, the term used to describe the neck pain and damage sustained from looking down at your cell phone, tablet, or other wireless devices too frequently and for too long. Expect to see ICD codes assigned to such new conditions soon.

Source: www.psychologytoday.com