OMS: Video game addiction is officially a disease

Gambling disorder has been included in the ICD-11 manual.

At the 72nd global assembly, the World Health Organization added a new disease to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11): gaming disorder.

His inclusion had been under discussion since last year and had sparked several controversies (not everyone agreed) but now the decision has been taken: since the classification comes into effect (1 January 2022) the gaming disorder will be recognized as a disorder .

The game in question is not the gambling one, which already has a deal of its own, but the video game or digital game; the disorder can be diagnosed when for 12 months (but the time required may even be less if the conditions are particularly severe) there are three symptoms.

The first consists of a poor control over the gaming activities themselves: duration, intensity, frequency and so on allow us to understand if one is simply dedicating oneself to a pastime or suffering from some problem.

The second is defined as «increasing priority assigned to the game to the point that the game itself takes precedence over vital interests and daily activities»while the third includes «the continuation or increase of gaming activity despite the occurrence of negative consequences ».

It is not a question, in short, of passing too much time in front of the screen, but of causing verifiable consequences in the "personal, family, social, educational, occupational"and other equally important areas.

As Dr. John Jiao explains via Twitter, "VGA [Video Gaming Addiction - Video Gambling Addiction] is not about the number of hours spent playing. There is when the game takes precedence over health, hygiene, relationships, financial management etc. The game itself is not a nuisance ».

And it is always Dr. Jiao who explains why the WHO has decided to include this disorder in the manual: to convince health insurance companies to pay for the therapies needed to solve it.

Given that this is a specific disorder that may not fit into other categorisations nor be associated with other recognized disorders, insurance - in those countries where having insurance is practically the only way to access health services without becoming covered in debt huge - he can refuse to pay if the disturbance is not indicated in an official manual.

Translated from Italian: Edvin Breshta