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

[Amras]

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....nd-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.

Sorry, but I think you miss-read that article and it's findings. It was talking about people with a naturally higher level of dopamine (base line) who require greater stimulation (ie people who are risk takers) compared to those with lower base levels and are more easily 'get a high' (So to say).

It also means it 'could' lead to addictive behaviours ie drugs and gambling, which are known addictive behaviors.

It does not mention gaming at all, and gaming doesn't produce the same risk to reward ratio that taking drugs does, or gambling does. Can it be exciting yes, of course. But I've never met, or read about anyone who gets 'high' off playing a game.

The FACT is, this boy seems to have an ongoing mental issue and instead of accepting and acknowledging that Thai's (not Thai bashing) are also susceptible to these sad illnesses that the rest of the world is, they push it away and blame it on some external factor that there is no proof of.

Sure people who play games have done some crazy things (as other's have highlighted) but the gaming population around the world is huge, so you would expect the same issues (violence etc) that occur in the general population in this subset. For those cases the gaming is just an external trigger and if it wasn't for the game, they would have been triggered by something else.

Do some people take gaming way to seriously...yep....are they medically addicted to it though...I would say no more than any other activity that people become passionate about, fitness, working, etc etc.

In some way we all have slight addictions to something, but that doesn't mean we are physically addicted as you become with drugs etc.

[EarthAlien]

I'm just gob-smacked at the number of TV armchair doctors, pediatricians and neurologists that insist there is no cure for autism.

Just like there is no cure for cancer, aids, and a myriad of other "incurable' conditions which have in fact been cured completely if you'd care to do some research on it!

The world is flat and the sky is falling!

[Lancelot]

Really sad, a kid 14 years old wrecks his life because of a computer game. RIP to the deceased.

Perhaps its coincidental, but I seem to be noticing more of the locals that seem "disturbed." Pity that they are not receiving the treatment needed.

[asiawatcher]

No short answer here. The kid will face the consequences of his action and the family will remain in ignorance as to what caused it.

[dalsobrook]

Well, so we have a cure for autism and its addictions. Wow, who knew?

Edited October 31, 2012 by metisdead
: Please do not post using bold font, it is bad netiquette. Bold removed.

[DocN]

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

So, obviously this headline is as inacurate as you can possibly be.

What sounds like an aggressive and unruly kid, killing his mom Damien-like in her sleep, first of all is a mentally handicapped child- which shines a different light on the whole story.

Also it seems to me (and speculation seems okay, giving the info...or non-info in the text), that this child did not get the care it needed, because if an expert (another one of those "experts") and the dad talk about a cured case of authism...things seem pretty odd to me.

RIP to the mom, though!

[Amras]

I'm just gob-smacked at the number of TV armchair doctors, pediatricians and neurologists that insist there is no cure for autism.

Just like there is no cure for cancer, aids, and a myriad of other "incurable' conditions which have in fact been cured completely if you'd care to do some research on it!

The world is flat and the sky is falling!

When did they develop a cure for cancer, or aids/HIV?

There has been some research on angioplastins for cancer treatment which seems to work frequently, but only for certain cancers and it's not a miracle one fits all cure (only works in specific situations).

HIV? Never heard of one.

Or are you confusing treatment (ie reducing viral load in HIV positive patients to help prevent onset of AIDS) with 'cure'.

But then I must have wasted a year working at a top cancer institute in Australia (As a scientist) to miss the fact they cured cancer already, according to yourself.

Care to share your sources?

[MEL1]

I'm just gob-smacked at the number of TV armchair doctors, pediatricians and neurologists that insist there is no cure for autism.

Just like there is no cure for cancer, aids, and a myriad of other "incurable' conditions which have in fact been cured completely if you'd care to do some research on it!

The world is flat and the sky is falling!

When did they develop a cure for cancer, or aids/HIV?

There has been some research on angioplastins for cancer treatment which seems to work frequently, but only for certain cancers and it's not a miracle one fits all cure (only works in specific situations).

HIV? Never heard of one.

Or are you confusing treatment (ie reducing viral load in HIV positive patients to help prevent onset of AIDS) with 'cure'.

But then I must have wasted a year working at a top cancer institute in Australia (As a scientist) to miss the fact they cured cancer already, according to yourself.

Care to share your sources?

Beat me to it!

What a strange post!!!

-mel.

[geriatrickid]

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.

Unfortunately, those afflicted with autism behave differently. Depending upon the severity of the condition, it is quite possible that the concept of limits would not be understood.

[h90]

that he had had autistic syndrome and been cured.

there is no cure for autism.

no one tells that they cured autism

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.

Did you miss that "addicted" is since years used for every weakness in self control.

you are fat because you have an addiction to eat too much

you are shopping too much you are shopping addicted

etc etc

it is of course nonsense but it is political correct....

[Kilgore Trout]

Great, blame it on games and being a kid

Clearly the warning signs were there; the child is mentally ill and did not receive help.

I blame the family and the schools. They should have acted to prevent this trajedy.

[geriatrickid]

BTW, I have a hunch the term "cured" was mistranslated or taken out of context. The intent may have been to state "treated" to the extent that the patient was manageable and the condition controlled. Thailand is a country where medication is relied upon rather than therapy. The therapists are not available, the families lack the resources and training to assist in and to support the therapy and the expectation of the general public is for an immediate solution.Thailand doesn't even have a cadre of psychiatrists and psychologists sufficient for its population. Hence, the reliance upon drugs. I doubt the motive was inaccessibility to a game, rather, this was a manifestation of mental illness. In the absence of the patient's clinical history, it really is inappropriate to comment. One doesn't know the severity of the autism, or if it was actually autism and not schizophrenia, an illness that is poorly diagnosed in Thailand. The family living conditions, the treatment being offered are other important factors. Boys do not kill their mothers unless there is a significant mental illness in play. The typical boy has an inboard protective mechanism when it comes to the mother. He might scream, yell or be abusive, but it is rare for a young male to kill the mother as the emotional bond is very strong.

[RaoulDuke]

Sad but hardly unique to Thailand. This is happening all over the planet, including the USA, UK, South Korea, etc. Often, these murders are quite gory affairs, showing just how little empathy these kids have. One kid in Atlanta attacked his grandmother and great-grandmother with a 3 foot sword, and Philadelphia, a kid killed his mother with a hammer. Not sure what the solution is, but greater awareness of the problem is a good place to start.

[rattler]

'Children at his age still lack emotional control'

really? at 14 years old

Maybe he meant Thais in general??

[rattler]

I gotta admit that I laughed a little when I read this headline in the email notification.

That being said - this is totally tragic. In seems like everyone involved here are totally incompetent in this vital topic:

You obviously have to feel bad for the mother, father and her family, but you also have to feel bad for the kid. He's likely been mistreated his whole life due to a massive lack of understanding of his condition among everyone connected to him.

One life has already been destroyed and the Thai "justice" system is going to totally destroy another one. The braindead Thai media will blame games (which had nothing at all to do with this) while hundreds of thousands of people with mental issues in Thailand will still be laughed at and ignored instead of helped.

This whole story is just sad and'll continue to get even sader.

We got a phone call the other night, it sounded like a drunk woman, my wife had to keep repeating information to her as she needed a key to get into her room.

I asked my wife about this woman later as it was 3 am when she called, she told me this woman was "crazy woman".

A few days later I found out this woman was severely deaf so would speak in a strange way. My Wife didnt know this and also didnt know how deaf people sometimes speak in a strange way due to some of them never having had hearing etc.

Ignorance here abounds.

The office manager also stated she was a crazy woman, I only found out when her husband told me " you realise she is almost completely deaf"

[Jingthing]

I am no expert but it is my impression it is not uncommon for adolescent autistic children to become physical threats to their parents and/or impossible to manage, so in societies that have such programs, these children are quite often placed in institutional settings out of pure unfortunate necessity. Such institutions don't need to be snake pits, but I reckon in many countries they are. I also never heard of a cure for autism but there are levels of severity and/or functionality with patients and with good support many can function in their own way, which will never be normal by society standards.

Edited October 31, 2012 by Jingthing

[Toscano]

Manarak is right , there is no cure for autism . Autism can be present in people to varying degrees . Those who suffer Autism can be prone to sudden violent outbursts if they don't get their own way . A problem too in Thailand is often a lack of parental control and guidance . Children should not be allowed to get into the habit of playing endless computer games . Many parents do not think children should be asked to help with chore , when they become teenagers , they become defiant .

[Colabamumbai]

Reason enough I'd say.

[laislica]

There is a lot of evidence that dopamine is a link to addiction.

I suggest searching Google with this "studies dopamine released computer games"

The list of studies is long.

Try this PDF:-

http://www.nrc-iol.org/cores/mialab/fijc/files/2002/120402_koepp_nature_1998.pdf

[navara]

When he can think clear, he never forgive himself.

[KuhnPaen]

that he had had autistic syndrome and been cured.

there is no cure for autism.

There is a cure in Thailand---it's called a "Witch Doctor"....apparently doesn't work so good

[technologybytes]

This is a very sad story whatever the reasons.

I strongly suspect that there is much more to this story than is told here, and the mention of computer games is probably incidental and used for an attention grabbing headline.

At least there appears to be some attempt to treat him as someone who may be ill rather than just evil.. if he was an adult he'd probably be just locked and no real investigation.

Just my opinion.

[visionchaser45]

"The boy's father and his cousins told police that he had had autistic syndrome and been cured. However, he had a suppressed personality and was always scolded by his mother"

Whoever wrote this is clearly not a psychologist. First off, I have never heard of an autistic person being cured. I also have never found any psychological disorder called a "suppressed personality" in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.

[Credo]

There aren't very many mental problems that are solved by adolescence.

[ElliePoo]

My heart breaks for this family. For those of you who are quick to judge the poor boy, please do your research on autism. I have a 9-yr-old autistic boy. He has improved tremendously since his diagnosis at the age of 3. But he is under the care of a psychologist and has been receiving speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, applied behavioral analysis treatment, social group therapy, and daily medication. He is well enough to function in 100% general ed environment but it DOESN'T mean he's cured. There are still moments of outbursts as much as all of us try to help and understand him. We live in the US and even with good insurance, these treatments along with special diets cost us arms and legs. I doubt this poor boy received proper treatment. My parents who live in Thailand insist that my son is cured. And my mom is a nurse. Thai people only look at a snap shot of a child who may appear normal at times but fail to understand the scope of autism. Thai authority needs to get this poor boy checked with a mental hospital. He probably doesn't even have any idea what he's done.

[AdamRich]

This has nothing to do with autism. This was premeditated murder. He waited until his mother was asleep and couldn't fight back then went in to stab her. He did not do it in the spur of the moment. He could just as well have waited until she went to sleep and snuck to play the game. That is unless she took the power cord like I do my daughter.

[Thai at Heart]

The kid has mental health issues. Thailand has little or no system to handle this problem. Handling autism can take the patience of Job with all the best help and training in the world.

Very sad story.

[MikeThaison]

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.

Here comes the TV sofa experts again. I am sure you are qualified to speak on this. There are a lot of studies done that support this. Playing video games releases dopamine in the brain. Doing drugs releases Dopamine in the brain. What is so hard to comprehend about this?

[oops]

I can agree that if you have a child that is autistic or boarder line mental retarded, meaning a server case of A.D.D. you can easily create a problem if you don't have the proper tools yourself to deal with a child.

In this case I can almost bet it was not a nurturing relationship. In more cases than not all special needs children need an overly positive reinforcement with a stable, very stable environment. Basically what I am saying is that someone with a low IQ themselves, will run out of resources quickly, then on top of that, you add the explosive tempers it then becomes paramount to a tragedy such as this.

First off you cannot "( Depending on the level of the child, and his age) " just demand that they stop doing something, you have to have the ability to lead them away from it. This is a real, real tragedy so I don't want it to sound like I am blaming the mother because, you cannot blame her for something she did not understand nor can you blame this child for murder, because he really doesn't understand, but now that it has happened, he cannot walk free because he will do it again. .

Raising a child like this myself, I only understand now late in my life the mistakes I made in leading him, even though he was living in a very positive and protected environment. On many occasions having to deal with various levels of physical altercation even with regular psychologist visits and counselors support. There are a magnitude of things I didn't understand mostly the way they read things or interpret the world which is totally different then average people do. Confusion is an every day challenge like having very poor vision (would be the best way to explain) navigating ones own path is a terrible thing as they watch the children they grow up with advance to higher levels that is impossible for them to understand, for both the parent and the child. While he is still wetting his bed and playing with baby toys his friends have graduated to chasing young girls, or playing sports even musical instruments chasing their desires...while the only desire these children have is being left alone to live inside themselves in a dream world far away from reality

Teachers don't have the knowledge here to deal with ADD children let alone pass any knowledge of the child's state of mind from a clinical point of view on to parents hindering the child's ability to grow.. The teachers at the schools beat these types of students,thinking because they look normal they should beat it into them with a couple of extra hits. I watched in horror as a teacher beat a child while I was watching her and that child was peeing all over the floor. I myself had the pleasure of working with this boy , who was an exceptionally well behaved boy. He always tried so very hard to understand all the time not just part time, for a first grade child he hadn't developed that hardened I don't give a shit attitude, but he will as this teacher will make sure she beats hme into it. She herself was even more ignorant than the child, which is why she felt the need to beat him when she failed to get him to understand what she could not teach him..Lack of tools for the better.

Edited October 31, 2012 by oops

[phantomfiddler]

Every thai child (ie 4yrs to 40) should be allowed to play computer games for at least 18 hours per day ; only in that way would they be perfect candidates for the tha-rak-thai clan. How dare the parents intervene !