Specially designed video games may benefit mental health of children and teenagers

Medical Xpress September 24, 2024
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

In a review of previous studies, a Johns Hopkins Children’s Center team concludes that some video games created as mental health interventions can be helpful—if modest—tools in improving the mental well-being of children and teens with anxiety, depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

A report on the review of studies from peer-reviewed journals between 2011 and March 20, 2024, appears in JAMA Pediatrics.

An estimated 20% of children and teenagers between the ages of three and 17 in the U.S. have a mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder. Suicidal behaviors among high school students also increased by more than 40% in the 10 years prior to 2019, according to a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.