WHO classifies 'gaming disorder' as Mental Health Condition

[Thermodolia]

Good thing I don’t go to church either.

Churches have lawn mowing to get done too.
Ah! It's all making sense now!

Maybe there ought to be lawn mowing video games for old codgers where players win by cutting the grass best. Will need a scratch and sniff fresh grass smell on the packaging to soothe the usual Dad cravings.

I fix shit. Aka start projects that never get finished

[Unconquered Frontier]

I had this (went on computer games all the time as a teenager) but I blame autism and being a teenager. I'm not sure if an adult who's neurotypical and otherwise mentally healthy could have that. If they did and it got in the way of living life they wanted to, it would be a problem. Not sure about illness, but not ideal in terms of mental health either. Something an adult ought to self-intervene with. As for teens and kids, parents should step in if it becomes addictive. Not the state outside of school doing something if it's getting in the way of class time.
There was a mother on TV yesterday who said 'my kid is addicted to video games, it's like alcohol, sure, some people can handle a glass of wine but other people can't and it's the same with games'.
Well, I'm pretty sure if she had any alcholic in the house at all, even her husband or herself, she'd ban alcohol from the house. Most people do. Drink outside if you want but don't take it home to an alcoholic and let the local pubs and off licenses know the problem. Why don't people like her simply ban devices in their homes, search his room for devices and tell the school/rest of the family/family friends about this 'addiction' the boy has? If nothing else, at least he'd be getting out and about to search for places to do the gaming from and might get to talk to real life people in the process... You can't be addicted to video games if you can't access them. Unless, of course, it's because it's not as deadly as alcoholism is and she shouldn't be comparing it.

[Caracasus]

It seems very unlikely that the WHO is going to be considering anyone who plays games - even extensively as suffering from this disorder. The crucial criteria for diagnosis seem to be very similar to a lot of mental health conditions - from the WHO page (bold added for emphasis)

Gaming disorder is defined in the draft 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as a pattern of gaming behavior (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

For gaming disorder to be diagnosed, the behaviour pattern must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months.

So this isn't a case of someone playing online quite a lot. It's beyond that - it's the cases in which someone's gaming is having a severe impact on other spheres of their life. It also has to be present for quite some time.

I'd broadly agree with this. There's no problem with playing games at all. It's an enjoyable hobby and it's been really interesting to watch video games go from taking those first faltering steps to proudly standing up as a valid cultural medium on a par with film and literature.

However, if you're playing videogames to the extent that you've lost your job, that your relationship with your family and friends is atrophying and suffering and you are forgetting to take care of yourself then yes, you have a problem.

As for why Gaming Disorder hasn't simply been included under other categories. Not being a trained psychologist, I am also going to defer to the experts who drew up this - again taken from the WHO page and bolded for emphasis:

A decision on inclusion of gaming disorder in ICD-11 is based on reviews of available evidence and reflects a consensus of experts from different disciplines and geographical regions that were involved in the process of technical consultations undertaken by WHO in the process of ICD-11 development.

The inclusion of gaming disorder in ICD-11 follows the development of treatment programmes for people with health conditions identical to those characteristic of gaming disorder in many parts of the world, and will result in the increased attention of health professionals to the risks of development of this disorder and, accordingly, to relevant prevention and treatment measures.

It seems like (inferring here) that the reason that Gaming Disorder has been created as a distinct label could be because the condition itself, methods used to diagnose it and treatments are different enough from other mental health treatments (for OCD ect) to warrant its own label.

[The New California Republic]

-Snip-

Thanks for the link. Very interesting. I have no doubt that there has been considerable research devoted to this issue, I just question the validity of having this as a distinct disorder, instead of putting it with the other obsessive-compulsive disorders, and whether gaming addiction isn't a mere symptom of other psychological issues, as others have pointed out in the thread.

[The Free Joy State]

-Snip-

Thanks for the link. Very interesting. I have no doubt that there has been considerable research devoted to this issue, I just question the validity of having this as a distinct disorder, instead of putting it with the other obsessive-compulsive disorders, and whether gaming addiction isn't a mere symptom of other psychological issues, as others have pointed out in the thread.

That's a good point. I read somewhere that people with certain traits are more likely to become addicted to gaming. This is only an abstract (I wish I could get the whole thing) but it hypothesises that higher neuroticism, anxiety and sensation-seeking are linked to gaming addiction.

I'm not sure that's sufficient evidence for it being a symptom of another psychological issue, rather than a distinct disorder. As I say, a lot of research -- by people way more qualified than me -- has been done. But, perhaps further research will show there's an argument for it being more likely to occur with people who already have another disorder?

[Major-Tom]

Inane, in my mind. Wouldn't a "gaming disorder" just fall into a broader category of addiction to material and stimulatory things (excluding alcohol, drugs etc). Or am I totally wrong here?

[Caracasus]

Inane, in my mind. Wouldn't a "gaming disorder" just fall into a broader category of addiction to material and stimulatory things (excluding alcohol, drugs etc). Or am I totally wrong here?

I read it as the reason it's separated is because the process of diagnoses and the treatment of the condition are different enough to warrant a new category.

I could be wrong though - just what I inferred from the WHO website.

[The Free Joy State]

Inane, in my mind. Wouldn't a "gaming disorder" just fall into a broader category of addiction to material and stimulatory things (excluding alcohol, drugs etc). Or am I totally wrong here?

I believe it's a considered to be a subcategory of behavioural addiction, as opposed to substance addiction.

EDIT: Yes. It's a subset of behavioural addiction. Here's the ICD-11's brief cover page on what addiction are considered behavioural: https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/ht ... f499894965

[USS Monitor]

I think there are other obsessive human behaviors that are far more worthy of being classified as a mental health condition. For example, the obsession with cellphones or social media, and the radical change in behavior that results...

No reason why they can't both be mental health problems.

The key thing is the severity of the obsession and the extent to which it interferes with someone's life, not whether it is video games, social media, etc.

Not everyone that goes to a blackjack table has a gambling addiction and not everyone that plays a video game has video game addiction, but there are some people that have an unhealthy relationship with their games.

I also think the amount of time that some people spend in front of their TV should be part of the same discussion. I mean, there's watching a movie, and then there's parking yourself in front of the TV for 10 hours.

[Khataiy]

Reminds me of when the UN or something wanted to make playing violent video games a war crime.

[USS Monitor]

Also, there exists a "cure" for this """""""disorder"""""". I reccomend employing it liberally on anyone who says "they can't help it". (Yes, BTW, I am now aware this video was staged.)

I play video games for six, eight, or more hours a day because I want to. I only do this because I am currently mentally incapable of holding a job and am unable to drive. I actually have a real mental illness, and I laugh at anyone who says that palying too many video games is a form of mental defect. They don't know what it's like to bare the yoke of autism. They will NEVER understand it.

Would you like me to call you a whambulance?

Just because some disorders are more serious than others doesn't mean the less serious ones are not real. That's like saying flu isn't a disease because cancer is worse. Well, yeah, cancer is worse, but they're both real diseases.

[USS Monitor]

I bet the people who call this a mental illness have never picked up a controller in their life.

Or they have, and they had trouble putting it down.

[Galloism]

Also, there exists a "cure" for this """""""disorder"""""". I reccomend employing it liberally on anyone who says "they can't help it". (Yes, BTW, I am now aware this video was staged.)

I play video games for six, eight, or more hours a day because I want to. I only do this because I am currently mentally incapable of holding a job and am unable to drive. I actually have a real mental illness, and I laugh at anyone who says that palying too many video games is a form of mental defect. They don't know what it's like to bare the yoke of autism. They will NEVER understand it.

Would you like me to call you a whambulance?

Just because some disorders are more serious than others doesn't mean the less serious ones are not real. That's like saying flu isn't a disease because cancer is worse. Well, yeah, cancer is worse, but they're both real diseases.

This is actually one of those things that “human psychology is weird”. Almost anything can be psychologically addicting - basketball, driving, skydiving, eating, even throwing up (oddly true). It just has to activate the reward response in the brain, and the brain want more of it more than anything else.

It surprises me none that video games can do the same. We used to refer to Evercrack as a joke, but it was funny because it had a kernel of truth.

It may not be as addicting as literal crack, but psychological addiction is a thing.

[Hirota]

Would you like me to call you a whambulance?

Just because some disorders are more serious than others doesn't mean the less serious ones are not real. That's like saying flu isn't a disease because cancer is worse. Well, yeah, cancer is worse, but they're both real diseases.

This is actually one of those things that “human psychology is weird”. Almost anything can be psychologically addicting - basketball, driving, skydiving, eating, even throwing up (oddly true). It just has to activate the reward response in the brain, and the brain want more of it more than anything else.

It surprises me none that video games can do the same. We used to refer to Evercrack as a joke, but it was funny because it had a kernel of truth.

It may not be as addicting as literal crack, but psychological addiction is a thing.

In that regard, I believe it isn't so much about what is being done as an addiction, but rather the causes behind the addiction that should be focused on.

I mean, I hate to armchair quarterback a literal group of health professionals, but this seems like it's looking at the symptoms rather than the cause.

[-Ocelot-]

What's the real reason the WHO decided to classify playing video games as a disorder? Are they paving the way for pharmaceutical companies to sell drugs to supposedly sick kids? I don't get it.

[The Free Joy State]

What's the real reason the WHO decided to classify playing video games as a disorder? Are they paving the way for pharmaceutical companies to sell drugs to supposedly sick kids? I don't get it.

The WHO haven't classified "playing video games" as a disorder.

The WHO is very clear that it's not about playing video games, but a "behaviour pattern [that] must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months." and that not everyone who plays video games -- even for significant periods of time -- is addicted or susceptible to addiction.

Treating behavioural addiction, I believe, is usually more focused on psychological therapies rather than medication.

[-Ocelot-]

What's the real reason the WHO decided to classify playing video games as a disorder? Are they paving the way for pharmaceutical companies to sell drugs to supposedly sick kids? I don't get it.

The WHO haven't classified "playing video games" as a disorder.

The WHO is very clear that it's not about playing video games, but a "behaviour pattern [that] must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months." and that not everyone who plays video games -- even for significant periods of time -- is addicted or susceptible to addiction.

Treating behavioural addiction, I believe, is usually more focused on psychological therapies rather than medication.

That sounds incredibly vague. What constitutes "significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas"? If a parent decrees that their child is significantly impaired because they play videogames and got a "B" instead of "A", should that kid go through the process of therapy? If a person is very introverted, has minimal social life by choice and happens to play videogames, should they also undergo therapy? Who gets to define what is impairment and what isn't? Aside from the time period, other criteria are vague enough that you can pretty much label anyone who plays videogames habitually problematic.

And even if drugs won't be the solution to this newfound problem, who is going to profit from this in the long run?

[The Free Joy State]

The WHO haven't classified "playing video games" as a disorder.

The WHO is very clear that it's not about playing video games, but a "behaviour pattern [that] must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months." and that not everyone who plays video games -- even for significant periods of time -- is addicted or susceptible to addiction.

Treating behavioural addiction, I believe, is usually more focused on psychological therapies rather than medication.

That sounds incredibly vague. What constitutes "significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas"? If a parent decrees that their child is significantly impaired because they play videogames and got a "B" instead of "A", should that kid go through the process of therapy? If a person is very introverted, has minimal social life by choice and happens to play videogames, should they also undergo therapy? Who gets to define what is impairment and what isn't? Aside from the time period, other criteria are vague enough that you can pretty much label anyone who plays videogames habitually problematic.

And even if drugs won't be the solution to this newfound problem, who is going to profit from this in the long run?

It's newly added, but not that newfound. They've been researching it for awhile.

Earlier, I posted a link to the Lemmens Gaming Addiction Scale, which tells you the kind of criteria. Here it is again. It's about so much more than introverts with minimal social lives who happen to play a lot of video games.

The criteria isn't actually vague. It's easily in line with that for gambling addiction, for example. This is the whole scale:

How often during the last six months...
Salience
...did you think about playing a game all day long? *
...did you spend much free time on games?
...have you felt addicted to a game?
Tolerance
...did you spend increasing amounts of time on games? *
...did you play longer than intended?
...were you unable to stop once you started playing?
Mood Modification
...did you play games to forget about real life? *
...have you played games to release anger or stress?
...have you played games to feel better?
Relapse
...have others unsuccessfully tried to reduce your game use? *
...were you unable to reduce your game time?
...have you failed when trying to reduce game time?
Withdrawal
...have you felt bad when you were unable to play? *
...have you become angry when unable to play?
...have you become stressed when unable to play?
Conflict
...did you have fights with others (e.g., family, friends) over your time spent on games? *
...have you neglected others (e.g., family, friends) because you were playing games?
...have you lied about time spent on games?
Problems
...have you neglected other important activities (e.g., school, work, sports) to play games? *
...has your time on games caused sleep deprivation?
...did you feel bad after playing for a long time?

I really don't see any grand plot or profit here.

The only people who'll profit are the people who do have a problematic relationship with gaming who, with the problem acknowledged, will be able to find appropriate help.

Of course, there's a chance parents will see the headlines and view their child's perfectly normal hobby as a clinical disorder. But it's doctors and psychologists who will make the diagnoses (or not, in cases of the healthy offspring over-anxious parents who've consulted Dr. Google), and not parents reading spurious pseudo-diagnostic websites that tell you your headache is a brain tumour.

[Alvecia]

Sounds to me like it's just a different expression of a particular type of obsessive disorder. Video games just happens to be the subject of the behaviour.
Don't really see the need to give it it's own category, but I'm no psychologist. Maybe there is one.

Calling it a Video Gaming Disorder though almost makes it sound like the games are the cause.

[United Muscovite Nations]

Would you like me to call you a whambulance?

Just because some disorders are more serious than others doesn't mean the less serious ones are not real. That's like saying flu isn't a disease because cancer is worse. Well, yeah, cancer is worse, but they're both real diseases.

This is actually one of those things that “human psychology is weird”. Almost anything can be psychologically addicting - basketball, driving, skydiving, eating, even throwing up (oddly true). It just has to activate the reward response in the brain, and the brain want more of it more than anything else.

It surprises me none that video games can do the same. We used to refer to Evercrack as a joke, but it was funny because it had a kernel of truth.

It may not be as addicting as literal crack, but psychological addiction is a thing.

Yes, and it's because of this that I'm not sure it was entirely necessary to create a "gaming disorder" rather than simply rolling it in with a generalized addictive disorder.

[Constitutional Technocracy of Minecraft]

Sounds to me like it's just a different expression of a particular type of obsessive disorder. Video games just happens to be the subject of the behaviour.
Don't really see the need to give it it's own category, but I'm no psychologist. Maybe there is one.

Calling it a Video Gaming Disorder though almost makes it sound like the games are the cause.

Specific categories are given to types of obsessive disorders, such as gambling addiction or in this case gaming addiction. This doesn't mean that whatever they're addicted to is the direct cause, just like casinos aren't the cause of gambling addiction and video games aren't the cause of gaming addiction.

[Iridencia]

Anything in excess can be bad, it's not saying video games alone are bad.

The survey you linked is a little misleading because it includes casual and mobile games like Angry Birds or Ruzzle. If you look at more dedicated gaming platforms like Steam, it's well known that there is a huge gender disparity (some estimates are that 96% of steam profiles are owned by males).

So? Why don't phone games count? They are games delivered through electric digital format. They're certainly less grand than something that comes from a cartridge or disc, but why is that an important distinction?

[Galloism]

Anything in excess can be bad, it's not saying video games alone are bad.

The survey you linked is a little misleading because it includes casual and mobile games like Angry Birds or Ruzzle. If you look at more dedicated gaming platforms like Steam, it's well known that there is a huge gender disparity (some estimates are that 96% of steam profiles are owned by males).

So? Why don't phone games count? They are games delivered through electric digital format. They're certainly less grand than something that comes from a cartridge or disc, but why is that an important distinction?

Being fair, calling my 91 year old grandmother a gamer because she plays candy crush on her tablet when bored seems a little wrong or useless. It just means gamer means “lives in a western country”, with a few exceptions.

[Ifreann]

Anything in excess can be bad, it's not saying video games alone are bad.



So? Why don't phone games count? They are games delivered through electric digital format. They're certainly less grand than something that comes from a cartridge or disc, but why is that an important distinction?

Being fair, calling my 91 year old grandmother a gamer because she plays candy crush on her tablet when bored seems a little wrong or useless. It just means gamer means “lives in a western country”, with a few exceptions.

If it was books and not video games, would you say that your grandmother isn't a reader because she reads short stories, not War And Peace?

[Galloism]

Being fair, calling my 91 year old grandmother a gamer because she plays candy crush on her tablet when bored seems a little wrong or useless. It just means gamer means “lives in a western country”, with a few exceptions.

If it was books and not video games, would you say that your grandmother isn't a reader because she reads short stories, not War And Peace?

If she only read newspaper funnies, and “reader” in the common parlance meant something more substantial than that (ie, reading whole books), then I wouldn’t call her a “reader”, no.

Which is a more apt comparison.

If I did, “reader” would be diluted to mean basically nothing. Do you consider people who read nationstates “readers”?