Alok Kanojia

Last updated
Alok Kanojia
Dr K October 2023.jpg
Kanojia in 2023
Born (1982-10-07) October 7, 1982 (age 41)
NationalityAmerican
Education University of Texas at Austin (BS)
Tufts University (MD/MPH)
OccupationPsychiatrist
Twitch information
Also known asDr. K
Channel
Years active2019–present
GenreInterview
Followers659,000
Last updated: April 7, 2024
Website https://www.healthygamer.gg/

Alok Kanojia, also known as Dr. K. (born October 7, 1982), [1] [2] is an American psychiatrist and co-founder of the mental health coaching company Healthy Gamer. He streams interviews on Twitch, where he and participants discuss mental health topics.

Contents

Education

Kanojia became addicted to video games during his time at the University of Texas at Austin, leading to missed classes and bad grades. At the age of 21 in 2003, he visited an ashram in India looking to become a monk, at the advice of his father. Kanojia spent a month at the ashram, where his teachers advised him to finish his degree rather than join the monastery; he would return every summer until 2010. [2] [3]

In India, Kanojia studied yoga and meditation, which he said gave him self-awareness and self-control required to control his addiction and salvage his career. He graduated in 2007 with a biology major and began a placement at Tufts University School of Medicine in 2010. [2] [3]

Kanojia received his medical degree in 2014, and subsequently started a residency at Harvard Medical School's Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/McLean Adult Psychiatry Residency Program. [3]

Career

After graduation, Kanojia discovered that he had many friends who were also addicted to video games. He began helping them, but he soon realized that he did not have the time to provide support to everyone. This prompted Kanojia and his wife Kruti to create a startup, Healthy Gamer, through which they could provide resources to help people overcome their addiction. [3] He has stated that he believes gaming addiction is not typically treated productively by therapists and hopes to provide better support. [4] [5]

Kanojia started hosting group discussion sessions to talk about gaming and mental health and, finding that these were valuable to participants, began streaming on Twitch. [6] He hosts live interviews mainly with other popular Twitch streamers where they discuss mental health issues. Guests of the show have included Reckful, Asmongold, Mizkif, xQc, Alinity and Pokimane. Kanojia also includes viewers who apply to be interviewed publicly on his livestreams. [2] [7] Before participating in his livestreams, every guest signs a consent form. [8] Some psychologists have raised concerns that, despite disclaimers stating that Kanojia's streams are not therapy, they can still be perceived as such. [6] Kanojia's streams have been among the most popular mental health channels on Twitch due to his high-profile guests. [9]

Healthy Gamer, which received support through an incubator at Boston University, [10] trains coaches who provide non-medical advice and support to the gaming community. [2] The coaches go through 10 weeks of free training and are paid to host individual and group sessions for paying customers, through which they explore attendees' goals and motivations and may provide guidance on meditation. [2] The guides are not licensed medical professionals, and Kanojia encourages participants to continue with other support from trained psychiatrists or therapists. [5]

Starting in late 2019, Kanojia conducted several public interviews with online celebrity Byron Bernstein, also known by the nickname Reckful, who discussed his issues with depression, bipolar disorder and his brother's suicide during the livestream. [6] [11] Bernstein stated that his interviews with Kanojia made him feel better [11] and helped him "hear my thoughts affirmed about what is important to my life". [12] He also stated that Kanojia did not call those interviews therapy "for legal reasons" and, as a result, decided that he should also not label them as such. Bernstein used the word "therapy" in the title of one of his videos with Kanojia. [12]

In July 2020, Bernstein died by suicide. [13] After Bernstein's death, Kanojia published an hour-long video where he talked about grief, depression and Bernstein's death. During the livestream, he advised viewers to seek professional mental health counsel if they were feeling symptoms of depression. [11] [13] He also stated in the video that his livestreams were not a replacement for therapy. [14] Some psychologists and YouTubers criticized Kanojia for providing therapy. [15] [16] Research psychologist and Twitch streamer Rachel Kowert claimed that Kanojia's online show is "clearly therapy" and expressed concerns for the health of the guests of his interviews. [6] In a 2022 video titled "Ethics", Kanojia detailed his "rigorous informed consent process" for interviewees and maintained what he does on stream is "very clearly, not therapy" stating "we regularly and consistently, since before we even showed up on stream for the first time, have been consulting with industry professionals, psychiatrists, [and] professional organizations" and that they "continually engage in dialogue with other professional organizations". [17]

Awards and nominations

YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2022 The Streamer Awards Best Philanthropic StreamerNominated [18]

Publications

Related Research Articles

<i>Psychology Today</i> American magazine and media organization

Psychology Today is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behavior. It began as a bimonthly magazine, which first appeared in 1967. The Psychology Today website features therapy and health professionals directories and hundreds of blogs written by a wide variety of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, medical doctors, marriage and family therapists, anthropologists, sociologists, and science journalists.

A mental health counselor (MHC), or counselor, is a person who works with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health. Such persons may help individuals deal with issues associated with addiction and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; and aging. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics distinguishes "Mental Health Counselors" from "Social Workers", "Psychiatrists", and "Psychologists".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Live streaming</span> Live broadcasting via the Internet

Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as streaming, the real time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other forms of streamed media, such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twitch (service)</span> American live-streaming platform

Twitch is an American video live-streaming service that focuses on video game live streaming, including broadcasts of esports competitions, in addition to offering music broadcasts, creative content, and "in real life" streams. Twitch is operated by Twitch Interactive, a subsidiary of Amazon It was introduced in June 2011 as a spin-off of the general-interest streaming platform Justin.tv. Content on the site can be viewed either live or via video on demand. The games shown on Twitch's current homepage are listed according to audience preference and include genres such as real-time strategy games (RTS), fighting games, racing games, and first-person shooters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reckful</span> American professional esports player (1989–2020)

Byron Daniel Bernstein, better known as Reckful, was an American Twitch streamer and professional esports player. He was best known in the gaming community for his achievements in World of Warcraft and Asheron's Call.

Mark S. Komrad is an American psychiatrist on the clinical and teaching staff of the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He is the author of You Need Help: A Step-by-Step Plan to Convince Your Loved One to Get Counseling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mukbang</span> Online broadcast involving eating

A mukbang or meokbang, also known as an eating show, is an online audiovisual broadcast in which a host consumes various quantities of food while interacting with the audience. The genre became popular in South Korea in the early 2010s, and has become a global trend since the mid-2010s. Varieties of foods ranging from pizza to noodles are consumed in front of a camera. The purpose of mukbang is also sometimes educational, introducing viewers to regional specialties or gourmet spots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacksepticeye</span> Irish YouTuber (born 1990)

Seán William McLoughlin, better known online as jacksepticeye, is an Irish YouTuber. Much of McLoughlin's YouTube content centres around gaming and vlogs. As of March 2024, his YouTube channel has accumulated 16.6 billion views and 30.6 million subscribers, making it the 2nd most-subscribed Irish channel on YouTube.

The live streaming of video games is an activity where people broadcast themselves playing games to a live audience online. The practice became popular in the mid-2010s on the US-based site Twitch, before growing to YouTube, Facebook, China-based sites Huya Live, DouYu, and Bilibili, and other services. By 2014, Twitch streams had more traffic than HBO's online streaming service, HBO Go. Professional streamers often combine high-level play and entertaining commentary, and earn income from sponsors, subscriptions, ad revenue, and donations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice Poseidon</span> American live streamer (born 1994)

Paul Michael Joseph Denino, better known as Ice Poseidon, is an American Internet personality, and live streamer, primarily of the video game Old School RuneScape and the IRLTooltip Real life genre. His peak prominence came in 2017 when his IRL streams became popular. He is best known for his IRL streams, which he describes as "life streaming". Rolling Stone named Denino as a "pioneer 'life streamer'".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr Disrespect</span> American YouTube streamer (born 1982)

Herschel "Guy" Beahm IV, better known as Dr Disrespect or The Doc, is an American online streamer. He had over 4 million followers on Twitch when he was active on the site, and became known for playing battle royale games such as Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, H1Z1, and PUBG: Battlegrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fedmyster</span> American Twitch streamer and YouTube personality

Federico Michael Gaytan, better known as Fedmyster, is an American Twitch streamer and YouTuber. He is best known for his gaming and IRL live streams on Twitch. He is a former member of OfflineTV, an online social entertainment group of content creators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludwig Ahgren</span> American YouTuber and streamer (born 1995)

Ludwig Anders Ahgren, known mononymously as Ludwig, is an American live streamer, YouTuber, podcaster, comedian, esports commentator, and competitor. Ahgren is best known for his live streams on Twitch from 2018 through late 2021, and on YouTube beginning in late 2021, where he broadcasts video-game-related content as well as non-video-game-related content such as game shows and contests. He is also known for his work as an esports commentator at various Super Smash Bros. Melee tournaments. He is the co-owner of the esports organization Moist Esports. He began streaming full-time on February 16, 2019.

Tae Ha Kim, known by his streaming channel Taeha Types, is a mechanical keyboard creator and livestreamer. While known for his commissioned keyboards, his Twitch livestream compose his primary occupation. His channel has influenced the rise of the mechanical keyboard hobby, particularly boosted by his viral video assembling a commission for Fortnite streamer Tfue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DrLupo</span> American streamer and YouTuber (born 1987)

Benjamin Lupo, better known as DrLupo, is an American streamer and YouTuber particularly known for his charity streams in association with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CodeMiko</span> Korean American streamer and YouTuber

Youna Kang, better known by her online 3D Virtual YouTuber persona CodeMiko and alias The Technician, is a South Korean-American Twitch streamer and YouTuber. Kang is best known for her live streams on Twitch, interviewing other streamers, content creators and internet personalities as her alter ego persona CodeMiko and for pushing the envelope with regards to interactivity in VTuber technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adin Ross</span> American live streamer

Adin David Ross is an American online streamer. He is known for his collaborations with celebrities and livestreams of the NBA 2K and Grand Theft Auto V video games. He previously streamed on Twitch before signing a deal with Kick in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitch Jones (streamer)</span> American Twitch streamer and musician (born 1992)

David Mitchell Jones (born July 23, 1992) is an American Twitch streamer and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerma985</span> American YouTuber and Twitch streamer (born 1985)

Jeremy Elbertson, known online as Jerma985 or Jerma, is an American live streamer, YouTuber, and voice actor known for his elaborate and "borderline surreal" livestreams on Twitch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludwig's subathon</span> Continuous 31-day livestream in 2021

On March 14, 2021, American livestreamer Ludwig Ahgren began continuously livestreaming on Twitch. The livestream ended on April 13, 2021, after 31 days. A subathon is a type of livestream in which viewer donations add more time to a descending timer that counts down to the end of the stream. Throughout the streams' duration, Ahgren received 282,191 subscriptions, breaking the previous record set in 2018 by Tyler "Ninja" Blevins of the most concurrent subscribers on Twitch. The subathon's content consisted of talking to his viewers and stream moderators, playing games, and sleeping, among other various daily activities. During Ahgren's sleep breaks his moderators entertained the audience, for which they were financially compensated. Ahgren grossed US$1,434,850 from the stream, before taxes, charity donations, and other deductions. Not including sponsorships, Ahgren profited $202,000.

References

  1. ↑ @healthygamergg (October 7, 2020). "Happy Birthday Dr. K! @dr_alokkanojia :D" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Liao, Shannon (5 August 2020). "A Harvard-trained psychiatrist is on Twitch helping gamers with their mental health". CNN Business . Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Heaven, Will Douglas (25 November 2019). "Video game addiction is now being recognized—what happens next?". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  4. ↑ Quinn, Cristina (14 January 2020). "When A Gaming Hobby Becomes An Addiction, This Doctor May Have The Solution". WGBH . Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  5. 1 2 Lee, Jonathan (13 October 2020). "Harvard psychiatrist reveals mental health epidemic plaguing young video gamers: 'It's actually quite severe'". In the Know . Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Limbong, Andrew (13 January 2021). "To Help Gamers on Twitch, Dr. K Balances Mental Health Advice With Medical Ethics". NPR. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  7. ↑ Grayson, Nathan (3 December 2019). "Psychiatrist Brings Streamer To Tears During Confessional Stream". Kotaku. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  8. ↑ Limbong, Andrew (13 January 2021). "To Help Gamers on Twitch, Dr. K Balances Mental Health Advice With Medical Ethics". NPR. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  9. ↑ Carpenter, Nicole (15 May 2021). "Streamers aren't therapists. But some therapists are streamers". Polygon. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Dumas, Bob (1 November 2019). "BU Lab program offers addiction counseling for gamers". Boston 25 News. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 "Tragic Things Dr. K Got Streamers To Admit". SVG. 2021-12-08. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  12. 1 2 "Psychiatrist Brings Streamer To Tears During Confessional Stream". Kotaku. 2019-12-03. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  13. 1 2 Liao, Shannon (2020-08-05). "A Harvard-trained psychiatrist is on Twitch helping gamers with their mental health | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  14. ↑ Carpenter, Nicole (2021-05-15). "Streamers aren't therapists. But some therapists are streamers". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  15. ↑ "What Is the Healthy Gamer Community, and Who Is Dr. K?". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  16. ↑ Ley, David J. (2022-07-07). "2 Things Most Therapists Do but Shouldn't". Psychology Today . Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  17. ↑ "Ethics". YouTube .
  18. ↑ Miceli, Max (22 February 2022). "All nominees for QTCinderella's Streamer Awards". Dot Esports. GAMURS Group.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.