Since its release in July this year, Pokemon Go has certainly courted its share of controversies, with some groups raving about its benefits and others raising concerns over its safety or condemning it for the nuisance it has caused.
In terms of psychological disorders, Malaysian Psychiatric Association Assistant Secretary for Early Career Psychiatrist Chapter, Dr Ng Yin Ping said currently, Pokemon Go could not be recommended as a substitute or form of treatment.
"For depression, research has shown that exercise is beneficial in improving mood and general well-being...however, it can be challenging to motivate someone who is suffering from depression, to exercise.
"One needs to be reminded that Pokemon Go does not explicitly improve moods and cannot be a substitute for the correct treatment for depression which include psychotherapy and medications," she said in a statement to Bernama recently.
She added that not everyone suffering from depression had encountered similar positive experience.
"Some have found that it worsened their depression when they could not afford to purchase the accessories, or lived too far away to locate any virtual creatures," she said.
Meanwhile, Dr Ng explained that individuals suffering from social anxiety could experience intense fear of certain social situations and perceive they might be watched or judged by others, and as such, result in more anxiety and avoidance of those situations.
"The treatment of choice in social anxiety disorder is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which helps the individual identify, analyse and challenge the negative thoughts that underlie their fear of social situations.
"While Pokemon Go may be helpful to these individuals in terms of providing a purpose and structure that distracts the individual from the anxiety that they would normally feel, it does not treat the underlying cause," she said.
Pokemon Go, developed by Niantic Incorporation of Nintendo USA has set a new wave of augmented reality game in the history of smartphone applications.
Pokemon Go is a conventional 'hide and seek' game where players are required to find and fight virtual characters based on real-world location detected via smartphone.
The free mobile game application was officially released on July 6 this year in Australia, New Zealand and the United States and has since reached over 30 countries.
No specific release date has been planned for Malaysia, but the hugely popular mobile application game may be made available here for Android and iOS users next month.
Bernama
Fri Aug 05 2016
A woman points her smart phone at the Brandenburg Gate as she plays the Pokemon Go mobile game in Berlin on July 13, 2016. - AFP photo
NIOSH sedia beri khidmat nasihat depani cabaran perubahan iklim
NIOSH bersedia memberikan khidmat nasihat serta rundingan bagi membantu kerajaan, majikan dan pekerja menghadapi cabaran berkaitan perubahan iklim.
Malaysia negara pertama terima visa haji
Malaysia menjadi negara pertama yang menerima pengeluaran visa haji daripada Kementerian Haji dan Umrah Arab Saudi bagi jemaah musim haji 1445H/2024.
Menteri Indonesia bincang isu pekerja migran dengan rakan sejawat dari Malaysia
Fauziyah harap Steven akan membawa penambahbaikan kepada dasar berkaitan tenaga kerja Indonesia.
Pahang peruntuk RM1.5 juta bantuan tunai bakal jemaah haji
Sebanyak 1,588 jemaah haji Pahang menerima sumbangan 'duit poket' berjumlah RM750 seorang bagi membantu meringankan beban bakal haji dalam melakukan persiapan melaksanakan rukun Islam kelima itu.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Pengundi jangan mudah percaya taktik fitnah - Ramanan
Ramanan berkata pengundi perlu lebih berhati-hati, dan sentiasa menyemak fakta apabila mendengar kempen politik yang dilakukan pihak lawan.
KEDA berhasrat tanam padi wangi, padi huma tahun ini
Lembaga Kemajuan Wilayah Kedah (KEDA) berhasrat membangunkan tanaman padi wangi dan padi huma di beberapa kawasan pertanian dalam wilayahnya, tahun ini.
Mesyuarat perundingan Enam Pihak Arab bincangkan perkembangan di Gaza
Mesyuarat perundingan Jawatankuasa Enam Pihak Arab itu membincangkan perkembangan serangan Israel ke atas Semenanjung Gaza.
Chegubard didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen KL esok - Peguam
Badrul Hisham Shaharin atau dikenali Chegubard akan didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur esok atas pertuduhan memfitnah dan menghasut.
Pulau Pinang, kerajaan pusat bekerjasama tarik pelaburan semikonduktor
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang akan bekerjasama dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk meneruskan usaha menarik pelaburan dalam sektor semikonduktor, termasuk segmen reka bentuk litar bersepadu (IC) di negeri itu.
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara
Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai “duta” untuk mempromosikan produk perusahaan mikro kecil dan sederhana (PMKS) SERTA koperasi negara.
Penting ambil tahu status kesihatan mental anda!
Penularan COVID-19 berisiko mencetuskan krisis kesihatan mental global, tindakan perlu diambil bagi menangani penderitaan psikologi yang ditimbulkan oleh pandemik itu, gesa PBB.
Bersukan untuk elak tekanan, kemurungan - Syed Saddiq
Tekanan yang tidak dikawal dan diuruskan dengan baik boleh menjejaskan kesihatan secara keseluruhan, terutamanya bagi mereka yang bekerja.
Kenapa bintang K-pop sering dilanda kemurungan?
Sudah berdekad lamanya bintang K-pop menjadi pujaan dan kegilaan ramai dek kehidupan yang glamor dan mewah dalam industri hiburan.