Video Game Addiction Classified As A Disorder By World Health Organization

Some people might find this placement apt as video games were already being called "digital drugs" by concerned parents and health specialists.

Continuation or escalation of gaming despite negative consequences.

In 2015, Pew Research Center reported almost half of American adults play video games.

As per the latest version which is to release (ICD 11), gaming addiction has been deemed a mental health disorder based on a few select characteristics.

In spite of what may appear to be universal symptoms, however, the organization is quick to note that the prevalence of gaming disorder, as defined by the WHO, is actually "very low".

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.

Additionally, WHO lists both online and offline gaming as a disorder, but the former can be an enriching experience as users can forge friendships and even romantic relationships through multiplayer games. "If it is consuming too much time and if it is interfering with the expected functions of the person, whether it is studies, whether it is socialization, whether it is work, then you need to be cautious and perhaps seek help", said Saxena.

Dr. Miller cautions parents who are now anxious their children are gaming addicts to look for key signs of addiction. The World Health Organization says it has to have happened over at least a year.

The document was developed over 10 years and now for the first time was fully published on the who website.

The World Health Organization issued a new catalogue on Monday covering 55,000 diseases, injuries and causes of death, in which it discreetly recategorised transgenderism. And the kind of game that someone is gravitating toward is really important if we're going to understand why someone would get addicted to it. Previous editions had categorised sexual dysfunction and gender incongruence, for example, under mental health conditions, while in ICD-11 these move to the sexual health section. It will be presented at the World Health Assembly in May 2019 for adoption by Member States, and come into effect on 1 January, 2022.

"A key principle in this revision was to simplify the coding structure and electronic tooling - this will allow health care professionals to more easily and completely record conditions", said Dr. Robert Jakob, leader of the WHO's Classifications Terminologies and Standards team.

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