Video games for ADD

Video Games for Attention Deficit Disorder.

A new kind of video game, one with EEG (brain wave) biofeedback, is being used by psychologists to treat attention deficit disorder (ADD), a condition characterised by hyperactivity and poor concentration.

Patients have an electrode attached to their scalp, which is then connected with the computer; they play the game by using their brain waves only, not their hands. The longer they can stay focused, the more points they earn, which teaches them to control their own brain waves.

Although this work is only at a very early stage, results have been promising. In one study at Canada’s ADD Centre in Toronto, over 80 per cent of patients were able to discontinue their medications after just five months.

For more information, visit the Biofeedback Certification Institute of America, at www.bcia.org.