Pokemon Go can help those with psychological disorders, psychologist says

"It does confer a number of benefits for all sorts of psychological conditions like anxiety and depression," said Dr Edward Chan, principal consultant psychologist at the International Psychology Centre, here.

For example, he said, the game could serve as a distraction for people dealing with depression, from their negative thoughts and indirectly help them to get up and venture outside of their cocoon.

He added that Pokemon Go could possibly help those facing serious problems like phobias and social anxiety.

"It is a very good motivation for this group of people to get them back on their feet.

"They will start to interact with fellow game go-ers out in the open instead of being stuck at home while at the same time boosting one's self-esteem and social skills," he told Bernama, here today.

Dr Chan, when asked to comment on Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak's statement that the government had no objection for Pokemon Go to be released here, lauded the move.

"This shows that we are open-minded about new things; it also indicates that the country is willing to embrace change while adapting technological advancement and social change," he said.

Recently, Salleh said Malaysia had neither objected nor restricted release of the free mobile game application as some countries might. "..we in Malaysia have not reached that stage," the minister had said.

Pokemon Go, developed by Niantic Incorporation of Nintendo USA has set a new wave of augmented reality game in the history of smartphone applications.

Nevertheless, Dr Chan who has 20 years of experience in the psychological field, is cautious on the negative impact of the game, such as obsession that might result in distractions over priorities.

"So far there is no evidence to suggest that Pokemon Go is necessarily a negative thing; however if a person does get disrupted, neglecting their relationships or studies then this may not be so good," he opined.

Pokemon Go is a conventional 'hide and seek' game where players are required to find and fight virtual characters based on real-world location detected via smartphone.

The application was officially released on July 6 this year in Australia, New Zealand and United States and has since reached over 30 countries worldwide.