Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: game addiction, gaming, video games, World Health Organization

Game Addiction Classified a Behavioral Disease by World Health Organization

Published Sun, 26 May 2019 12:10:15 -0500

In a new report sent out by the World Health Organization, they have voted to classify game addiction as a behavioral disease moving forward. The vote was made to adopt the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, also known as ICD-11. This specifically gives game addiction a proper classification under their guidelines, but like all articles made by the World Health Organization, it only classifies it, it doesn't give any advice on how to diagnose, treat, medicate, and other areas that fall under a physician's care, that's for different countries to decide. We have the full classification for you here.

Gaming disorder is characterized by a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour [sic] ('digital gaming' or 'video-gaming'), which may be online (i.e., over the internet) or offline, manifested by:

impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context);

increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities; and

continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences. The behaviour pattern is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning.

The pattern of gaming behaviour may be continuous or episodic and recurrent. The gaming behaviour and other features are normally evident over a period of at least 12 months in order for a diagnosis to be assigned, although the required duration may be shortened if all diagnostic requirements are met and symptoms are severe.

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