Video Game EndeavorRx Prescribed for ADHD

For the first time ever, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a video game as a treatment for a disorder. The game EndeavorRx must be prescribed by a physician for children who exhibit Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) which is thought to affect about 4 million children in the U.S. between the ages of 6 and 11 (LaFee, 2020). 

The FDA has approved a video game (EndeavorRx) as a treatment for ADHD, which is thought to affect about 4 million children in the U.S.

According to DSM-5 (2013) ADHD involves “a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.” The myriad of potential qualifying symptoms negatively impact the child’s social and academic activities.

The great irony here is that “addiction” to video gaming in many children is very problematic to their functioning and development and parents are rightly concerned. Now a certain video game (EndeavorRx) can be prescribed as a non-drug treatment for a major clinical syndrome of childhood. 

A total of 600 children participated in trial studies before FDA approval for general use was granted. In general, school performance was enhanced, but there were some negative side effects that were not considered by the FDA to be serious: frustration, headaches, dizziness, emotional reactions, and aggression. It seems important to weigh whether the risks of these particular side effects are worth the benefits of better behavior and grades in school. From these early reports, it argues for conducting more extensive empirical research to confirm the appropriateness of the paradoxical “prescribing the problem” as a therapy.

For more information:

Gaming Disorder and Internet Addiction is a 1-hour online continuing education (CE) course that examines the controversial mental health condition of gaming disorder, and the broader concept of internet addiction.

Parents, educators, and health care professionals have all expressed concerns about the proliferation of electronic devices and their negative effects throughout our society. Professional organizations have moved toward considering that the overuse of such devices may be diagnosable mental disorders. These actions have raised a number of related legitimate and controversial issues, which professionals, parents, and societal leaders must address. This course will review the latest developments in this area and some of the pros and cons of those issues.

Gaming disorder itself may be regarded as a subarea of the broader concept of internet addiction. Some of the topics addressed in this course include Process and Problems of Approval of New Disorders, Scientific Issues of Reliability and Validity in the DSM, Does Playing Violent Video Games Cause Violent Behavior, and Substance-Related Addictions. Course #11-31 | 2019 | 20 pages | 10 posttest questions


Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy; the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

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