14 Year-Old Boy Kills His Mother In Bangkok; Mum Wouldn't Let Him Play Computer Games

[lizardtongue]

General consensus among the medical and scientific community says that no true cure has yet been discovered for autism. On the other hand, many children who, having been diagnosed on the autism spectrum at a young age, later "outgrow" their diagnosis. Some writers and researchers claim that children with autism can be "recovered" (another term for cured) through specific biomedical treatments including special diets, supplements and other alternative methods. The question of whether and how these children were cured, however, is still open.

That's Dr Apichai's diagnosis out the window?

Dr Amornwich Nakornthap, an academic advisor to the Quality Learning Foundation, said the suspect's background must be examined. Four initial considered motivations for the crime are attention deficit disorder (ADD), drug addiction, psychological disorders, and family maltreatment. (MCOT online news)

This guys diagnosis seems a little more acceptable, depending on the social standing of the family it is hard to believe that the kid would have had the correct treatment.

Now he might just get some 'help' pity it has been necessary for him to kill his mother before he receives some of that 'help'

[lostinisaan]

He allegedly used to say he would want to kill his mother.

A very sad and tragic death. RIP!! MoE should rethink their one tablet per child policy. Just watching all kids now, most of them are addicted to games, mostly with heavy guns. Reality and fantasy gets really mixed up.

Can't get my son away from games, if I don't allow him to play at home, he'll find a way to meet a friend and play it somewhere downtown.

I'm actually glad that I grew up in a time without computers and cell phones.

[cm das]

I've found that Thais use the word "autistic" for a whole range of developmental disorders, most of which have nothing to do with autism as we in the west know it.

[kristofferR]

This is why no one in my house are allowed to play "computer games".

You won't allow people to play computer games because a boy with a serious mental condition who was maltreated (likely accidentially through inadequate and dangerous treatment) his whole life finally snapped?

[DP25]

Evidently, the boy wasn't cured and the doctor(s) convinced the mother they performed a miracle. I suppose the mother let her guard down. The mother's death is tragic, but what's even more tragic is the doctors errant prognosis which may have led to her death.

It might not have necessarily been a doctor who told them this. They easily could have gone to some monk or witch doctor or traditional Chinese medicine practitioner for a cure

[goatfarmer]

Public Health Ministry deputy permanent-secretary Dr Apichai Mongkol said the body releases dopamine hormones when a person is addicted to games, in a similar fashion to being addicted to drugs.

There is absolutely no reliable evidence for this. I can't believe public health officials get away with espousing this sort of politically-motivated hokum.

There isn't?

You're aware of a high-quality study that provides evidence for the claim "the body releases dopamine hormones when a person is addicted to games, in a similar fashion to being addicted to drugs"?

Which drugs?

How does one define the term 'addicted to games'?

What's the difference between the body releasing dopamine (if this indeed is what happens) in response to undertaking an activity that one enjoys and releasing dopamine in response to addiction? Where is the line drawn?

What was the size of the study?

How did they construct a control group?

How was blinding achieved?

It's pseudoscience, and particularly cack-handed at that.

Addiction can only be defined as compulsive behaviour that has deleterious social or physical consequences. If you have nothing better to do and want to play video games all day long I would say you aren't addicted.

"Article search of 15 published articles between 2000 and 2009 in Medline and PubMed on computer and video game addiction. Nine abstinent "ecstasy" users and 8 control subjects were scanned at baseline and after performing on a motorbike riding computer game while imaging dopamine release in vivo with [123I] IBZM and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

This evidence supports the notion that psycho-stimulant users have decreased sensitivity to natural reward.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20545602"

I'm sure you could put holes in it.

[goatfarmer]

This is why no one in my house are allowed to play "computer games".

No, they spend all their time studying grammar instead.

[seminomadic]

Very informative video. Is it about the cold war?

Somebody failed to notice the forum is English.

[Scott]

I wonder if this boy was attending school.

[advancebooking]

Who knows what the full story is... They could have been abusive parents. There could be more to this story.

[seminomadic]

I wonder how many times letting the kid play video games served as a copout to actual parenting before she decided it was too much.

[chowny77]

Kids today play far too much on their computers and watch too much tv. They have very little exercise and experience with real people in the outside world. When I was younger which is not to long ago after school I was always out playing football or just in general hanging out and talking with my friends. I very rarely see this happening in the scale it used to happen back home in England. Granted our computers were crap back then but I used to load my sinclair spectrum with its tape and in about an hour it would have loaded or crashed. So I went out and had fun some other way. I feel sorry for the families loss but I am not impressed about why it happened and the reason.

[Baerboxer]

that he had had autistic syndrome and been cured.

there is no cure for autism.

Correct sir. But this is miracle Thailand ! You don't expect a Dr. to know that here do you ? He might not be a Dr. of medicine.

[RogueLeader]

This is why no one in my house are allowed to play "computer games".

Why the rabbit ears? Are you not convinced that they exist?

[Banzai99]

This is why no one in my house are allowed to play "computer games".

But can they can spend all day on an internet forum tapping away meaningless posts ?

[masaomi]

My Goodness! His birth was an abomination to Mankind! This poor woman just spawned a demon from the nine hells! No man or boy would wait till the mother is asleep to murder her.

May God receive her soul in Heaven! Amen!

[MILT]

'Children at his age still lack emotional control'

really? at 14 years old

You would be SURPRISED !!! My Thai wife was the owner of an internet/game shop ; i have seen things there that i never could have imagined. Those kids are ADDICTED to those games, so much that they really would KILL someone who try to keep them from their "sport" !! i am talking about kids of 6-7-8-9-10-11... years old !!! There was even a boy of FOUR years who was waiting every morning at SEVEN o'clock for that door to open so he could spend his time for many hours on the games !!!

i observed them many times, and this is really INCREDIBLE what is going on in these young brains during that 30 min or 1,2... hours they do their thing on the computer in the shop. Some of them even play games for 6-7 hours ! they save their money that parents give them in the morning to buy food or other stuff in school. Well, they just do NOT eat and save that money for the games... Others just STEAL the money for the games "sport".

Really, i am not surprised that such sad things happen ! All the more so these kids watch every day all those violent series and movies, TOGETHER with their parents, sisters, brothers, friends.... as this is a MUST in Thailand to watch those evil things !! So it seems to be "normal" in TH that someone stabs another person , or is shooting someone, or.. or.. or... -- (Most youths hanging around with knifes or fire arms in their pockets !!! And this some people call a civillised country !? Education = ZERO, sorry to say, but it's the truth

Much more things to tell about this subject... but i leave it for now... again, very sad !

I agree with your post for the most part. The section where you blame the violent media (Movies, TV series) are just not proven to be the main cause. My 2 boys have watched whatever they liked growing up. They both realized that it was just a movie and that hundreds of people are involved in making a movie/TV series. They grew up well rounded and successful. My youngest is currently involved in the film industry.

I think it doesn't matter if the games are violent or passive I think it is more of a stimulation of habit and is able to take the mind away from current reality. Kinda like zoning in on television everyday for hrs. Not going outside or reading a good book that maybe be violent in nature, a drama or a love story. There is nothing wrong with parental control over the mass media that keeps the mass's preoccupied from real life whether violent or not it is the amount of time one spends zoning out on games and Television is the real harm from media these days.

[bumpkin]

Extremely sad as this story is, it would seem that it was not Emotional control, but Parental control that was lacking in this case.

Most children with these medical symptoms are brought up to be loving and no threat.

[domu]

Dopamine and videogames: http://discovermagazine.com/2007/brain/video-games/article_view?b_start:int=2&-C

[jsflynn603]

"Public Health Ministry deputy permanent-secretary Dr Apichai Mongkol said the body releases dopamine hormones when a person is addicted to games, in a similar fashion to being addicted to drugs."

Dr Mongkoi needs to go back to school. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, not a hormone. This is elementary biochemistry.

Neurotransmitters are created at and localized at nerve synapses.

Hormones are created by glands and are circulated via the bloodstream.

Though clearly video game playing can be oddly addicting. A few years ago two fellows from Shanghai were playing online together and a monster dropped an uber (elite) sword. The two agreed to use the elite ethereal (existing as electrons, not in reality) alternately. One day one of the fellows sold the sword for about US$1,000 equivalent, (ethereal items from games can be sold on Ebay sometimes for hundreds of dollars and sometimes over a thousand) and when the second one found out he killed the one who sold the sword.

To read the story search using: "Online gamer killed for selling virtual weapon"

the link if allowed:

http://www.smh.com.a...1862440188.html

Edited October 31, 2012 by Scott

[Semper]

This is why no one in my house are allowed to play "computer games".

But can they can spend all day on an internet forum tapping away meaningless posts ?

They sure can, when they become grownups. Some day, you'll get to that point.

[Skywalker69]

Children at this age still lack emotional control, Dr Apichai said. When denied what they are addicted to, they may lose control and hurt others.

This means there wouldn´t be many Mothers alive in the World,then?

[pacovl46]

There is no cure neither for autism nor regressive autism also known as autistic syndrome.

[noob7]

Possibly, the poor woman has tried to impose 'boundaries' just a bit too late in this boys life.

Kids need to know limits right from the start, and most parents just don't do that in this country.

+1

The result can be seen in many situations. Luckily, not all of them ending like this.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

'Children at his age still lack emotional control'

really? at 14 years old

The article also says he's autistic, but had been 'cured', which isn't possible as far as I know. So he has some kind of mental illness that perhaps was no longer being treated in addition to the normal teenage problems.

Perhaps the family had an exorcism for him...or whatever the Thai version of that is called... I'm sure that would have done the trick.

[animatic]

Public Health Ministry deputy permanent-secretary Dr Apichai Mongkol said the body releases dopamine hormones when a person is addicted to games, in a similar fashion to being addicted to drugs.

There is absolutely no reliable evidence for this. I can't believe public health officials get away with espousing this sort of politically-motivated hokum.

I wouldn't be so sure of that. Disputed evidence, but there is some.

It is perfectly obvious gaming can be and very strong addiction.

Add that to pervious problem, "Cured" Autism.... yeah right.

[Andre0720]

Public Health Ministry deputy permanent-secretary Dr Apichai Mongkol said the body releases dopamine hormones when a person is addicted to games, in a similar fashion to being addicted to drugs.

There is absolutely no reliable evidence for this. I can't believe public health officials get away with espousing this sort of politically-motivated hokum.

I found this article:

Appears to support the claims of public health officials. But then just one study....

http://www.sobriety.ca/blog/2010/02/hormone-dopamine-linked-to-addiction-and-risk-taking/

Dopamine has been connected to both behaviours—each involve chasing a high, whether naturally induced or chemically. As well, drug addiction can be classified as a high-risk behaviour. Studies have shown that sensation seeking, the constant need for stimulation, and drug or alcohol abuse involves the same reward system in the brain.

[noob7]

"always scolded by his mother." maybe two sides to this story

If I look at Thai kids around my place, then 'scolding' is mostly the only thing, mothers can do, against the will of there sons.

And we see, where the statements of officials come from, and why no action is taken, after them!

They learned it, this way. You get away with everything, only don't listen to much to it! The 'scold' will shut up after a while, so why to stop the doing?

But you can see this more and more in the western world, too. Probably it's not so visible, like here, but there you need to go to the 'right' places, only.

And wanna see about it, not calling it anti-authoritarianism, instead!

[Credo]

I suspect that very, very few posters have actually lived with an autistic child.

My sympathies to the family.

Edited October 31, 2012 by Credo

[ChanJoonYee]

that he had had autistic syndrome and been cured.

there is no cure for autism.

Precisely.