WHO Now Classifies Gaming Addiction as a Psychological Disorder

The World Health Organization (WHO) has now officially classified gaming addiction as a disorder, thus being listed as a mental health condition that is diagnosable. The WHO announced the new disorder today, which is bound to be included in the organization's 11th International Classification of Diseases (ICD) guide, which is due to be published this year.

Despite having its inclusion in the ICD confirmed, gaming addiction as a disorder still doesn't have a finalized transcript. It's still in the draft stages, and at this time, gaming addiction is being described as a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior so severe that it takes "precedence over other life interests". From the draft, the WHO is looking at extended diagnosing periods of at least 12 months until it can be confirmed that someone suffers from this disorder, though the diagnosis time frame can be reduced "if symptoms are severe".

Symptoms for this disorder include:

• impaired control over gaming (frequency, intensity, duration)
• increased priority given to gaming
• continuation or escalation of gaming despite negative consequences

BBC sites Dr. Richard Graham, lead technology addiction specialist at the Nightingale Hospital in London, who welcomes the decision on the grounds that now the issue will be taken seriously; however, the Dr. also shows some reservations in that it will open the floodgates to some concerned parents, whose children might be enthusiastic - but not addicted - gamers. For Dr. Graham, the principal criteria should be whether or not the gaming activity is affecting basic things such as sleep, eating, socializing and education; whether the addiction is "taking up neurological real-estate, dominating thinking and preoccupation".