Gaming disorder is now classified as a mental health condition

By Kevin Lee

Video game addiction will soon become a diagnosable metal health condition, at least in the eyes of leading international health officials.

The World Health Organization now considers Gaming Disorder a unique mental health condition in the latest revision to its disease classification manual.

According to the document, the UN health agency classifies Gaming Disorder with these following symptoms:

1. Impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context)
2. Increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities
3. Continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

The ‘signs’ of a gaming addict

There are three characteristics of the gaming disorder, argues Dr. Vladimir Poznyak, a member of WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. He’s the one who proposed the new diagnosis, according to CNN.

The first telltale sign is “gaming behavior takes precedence over other activities to the extent that other activities are taken to the periphery,” says Poznyak. From there gaming addicts will supposedly exhibit “impaired control of these behaviors even when the negative consequences occur, this behavior continues or escalates.”

Poznyak said the condition leads to “significant distress and impairment in personal, family, social, educational or occupational functioning.” Overall, …read more

Source:: techradar.com – Gaming