Mental Health Disorders

WHO: ‘Gaming Disorder’ Now Considered an Illness

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially added ‘gaming disorder’ to the 11th revision of its International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) after initially proposing its addition in June 2018, WHO reported.

WHO describes gaming disorder as “a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior” involving digital gaming or video gaming, either online or offline, with the following symptoms:

  • Demonstrating impaired control over onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, and context of gaming.
  • Increasingly prioritizing gaming over other daily activities and life interests.
  • Continuing or escalating one’s gaming habits in spite of negative consequences, such as strained relationships with family and friends, occupational or educational issues, and related areas.
     

The organization notes that patterns of behavior associated with gaming disorder may be episodic or recurrent, and must occur for at least 12 months in most cases before a diagnosis of gaming disorder can be given.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics (version: 04/2019). World Health Organization. https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/http://id.who.int/icd/entity/1448597234. Accessed May 28, 2019.