A mother is fighting for her 15-year-old son to be diagnosed with internet game addiction by the NHS because his obsession is tearing his life apart.
Kendal Parmar's son was a talented sportsman, the captain of his county rugby and cricket teams, and in a stream for gifted pupils at secondary school.
But his addiction to online gaming has left him unable to attend classes for a year and confined to his north London home as his confidence plummeted.
The teenager was even admitted to hospital for eight weeks because his ability to function was so impaired.
When he left, he was offered Vitamin D tablets to reverse the effects of months without sunlight.
Miss Parmar has battled for three years to get the NHS to recognise internet gaming as a treatable condition so those in her son's situation can get the help they need without having to pay about £350 a session for private therapy.
The mother-of-five told The Telegraph: 'Every moment he's awake, he wants to be on a game. There is no outside world. It has become all-consuming.
'The biggest effect on our family is the isolation from us all. He is estranged within our own house. We have lost him...although we know he is in there.'
The World Health Organisation (WHO) classified internet gaming as an official mental health disorder earlier this year - signalling a potential breakthrough for Miss Parmar.
She describes internet gaming as a 'silent addiction' which is often overlooked because it does not disrupt society in the same way drug or alcohol addiction.
A recent study showed a staggering four per cent of youngsters are clinically at risk of internet addiction.
Miss Parmar runs a company called 110% Limited which helps empower employees through 'identity management' development.
She says she sits with her son when he is playing on Twitch, Amazon's live streaming video platform, to try to understand his addiction.
Miss Parmar thinks he is attracted to the sociability of gaming because you can play with lots of other people, as well as the buzz when he achieves in the virtual world.
