It isn't an either or situation, stop being so black and white, you're acting as if physical abuse is the only form of punishment, it isn't, it is the least effective though.

He has problems (anyone can see that) it doesn't come across as a case of misbehaving, he needs help from his parents and maybe even specialists, not a bloody smack.

Its fairly simple. Take away the games. Or kick him out onto the street if hes stubborn about it. Then allow him back into the house only to study and do school work.

I could be way off the mark here but I'll jump in with this:

He may well be depressed, even if he doesn't outwardly appear so. He may be very self-conscious, anxious or feel intimidated about going to school and interacting with other people. This can happen to people, even if they were once very social, especially in the mid-to-late teens.

Gaming could simply be a comfort, he can stay entertained without needing the socialize outside of his protective bubble. The stealing is also a warning sign, it's possibly reached the stage where his values and sense of morals have been pushed to one side completely as total apathy and inertia set in. Coming down too harshly could provoke rage, stubbornness and reckless behavior, but it's actually quite important that the issue is addressed sooner rather than later, waiting for him simply to get better isn't enough. I've seen people in his situation go on like that for years and years.

Does he react aggressively if someone suggests he's played too much, or that he might be addicted? He may even have admitted to himself he has a problem, but is ashamed to admit it to someone else.

As regards to fixing the dilemma, your family are going to need to lay down some rules, bring some structure back into his life and step in with some authority. He's being allowed to continue to ostracize himself, ditch school, continue stealing and break your family trust without any severe repercussions. He may well be using his illness as a shield and justification for his conduct, but he needs to learn to live without using it as an excuse for his bad behavior. A complete change of environment might be what he needs, but perhaps most importantly, he needs to talk and tackle some of the issues that are making him retreat into his own world, even if he doesn't want to.

Sorry to hear about your bro. He needs a form of rehab enforced on him. Not that he can't play at all afterwords. Much like alcohol, moderation is the answer.

A heart-to-heart talk will do wonders.

Don't blame or condemn him, just tell him the facts, the consequences, and how much you care for him to lot let him go down this road. Strongly suggest, but don't force, the games away from him and be encouraging. I'm sure he's suffering more than he realizes, but there is definitely hope for him.

Ya, seriously Seece you're being extremely ridiculous, the facts are that his parents just need to do their simple job of parenting and enforce some rules regulations and do some punishment too. Who bought the 360? I'm sure the parents did, even if not his parents provide everything for him so he should go by their rules. Xxain makes great points.

I'm not being ridiculous at all. I don't even disagree with the fact the parents need to do their job (I already said they do) and they need to punish him as well. The only difference of opinion we have is that you and Xxain are saying physical abuse is the way to go, and I'm disagreeing.

Enormous authority problem here. Set aside the credit card issue and your brother is just a regular 15 years old guy. Staying at home playing video games without any worry is obviously better then going to school. Thank god my parents would have never tolerate that. Also, specialist should stop calling regular dificulty of life a disease. Chronic fatigue my ass.

He needs to have his games taken away until he gets his priorities straight. There's nothing wrong with playing games 5-7 hours a day. Hell I do it, a lot of the people on here probably do it often. If he chooses to spend a majority of his life gaming I see no problem, it's a life choice, and ultimately no different from what other people do. However to steal credit cards, and disregard school altogether presents a problem. Your parents should not be giving him a free pass. He needs those games taken away until he gets himself on track.