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posted by martyb on Monday June 18 2018, @05:16PM   Printer-friendly
from the doritos-and-mountain-dew-brain dept.

The World Health Organization (WHO) will officially classify "gaming disorder" as a mental health condition:

The World Health Organization is set to announce "gaming disorder" as a new mental health condition to be included in the 11th edition of its International Classification of Diseases, set to release Monday.

"I'm not creating a precedent," said Dr. Vladimir Poznyak, a member of WHO's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, which proposed the new diagnosis to WHO's decision-making body, the World Health Assembly. Instead, he said, WHO has followed "the trends, the developments, which have taken place in populations and in the professional field."

However, not all psychologists agree that gaming disorder is worthy of inclusion in the International Classification of Diseases, known as the ICD.

What are the characteristics of gaming disorder?

"One is that the gaming behavior takes precedence over other activities to the extent that other activities are taken to the periphery," he said. The second feature is "impaired control of these behaviors," Poznyak said. "Even when the negative consequences occur, this behavior continues or escalates." A diagnosis of gaming disorder, then, means that a "persistent or recurrent" behavior pattern of "sufficient severity" has emerged, according to the ICD. A third feature is that the condition leads to significant distress and impairment in personal, family, social, educational or occupational functioning, Poznyak said. The impact is real, he said, and may include "disturbed sleep patterns, like diet problems, like a deficiency in the physical activity."

Overall, the main characteristics are "very similar" to the diagnostic features of substance use disorders and gambling disorder, he said. Gambling disorder "is another category of clinical conditions which are not associated with a psychoactive substance use but at the same time being considered as addictive as addictions."

Also at NYT.

Previously: World Health Organization Will Recognize "Gaming Disorder"


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Gaaark on Tuesday June 19 2018, @12:26AM (2 children)

    by Gaaark (41) on Tuesday June 19 2018, @12:26AM (#694763) Journal

    Say it with me.....
    It's. not. a. DISEASE!
    How about we just grow up?

    Yes, gaming is more fun than actually dealing with problems.
    Yes, drinking is more fun than actually dealing with problems.

    Shit. Neither is a DISEASE, it is a personal choice: I don't want to go to work, I don't want to deal with life. I just want to plaaaaaaay! Cos it's easier!

    Grow up. Go to work. Go on date with GF. Deal. Be a man, not a child.

    Stop hiding and deal...deal. with. life.

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 19 2018, @06:26AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 19 2018, @06:26AM (#694854)

    It's also possible that some people just prefer doing these things and don't have the same desires as you. Not everyone wants a girlfriend; not only because not everyone is a straight male, but because some people are aromantic. Also, nice No True Scotsman there with your "be a man" bit.

    • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:54PM

      by Gaaark (41) on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:54PM (#695029) Journal

      Okay, so you agree with me it's NOT a disease?.....I guess?....

      ....or wtf you talking about.

      And that's not a true Scotsman thing: it's a reality. If you're letting people down in some way because you want to game, you need to grow up and "be a man".
      Children let you down, adults don't.

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---