Gaming addiction classified as disorder by WHO
Video gaming is described as 'a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour'
Addiction to video games has been recognised by the World Health Organisation as a mental health disorder.
The WHO's latest reference bible of recognised and diagnosable diseases describes addiction to digital and video gaming as "a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour" that becomes so extensive that it "takes precedence over other life interests".
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which has been updated over the past ten years, now covers 55,000 injuries, diseases and causes of death.
Online and offline "gaming disorder" is grouped with "disorders due to substance use or addictive behaviours" in the ICD's 11th edition, known as ICD-11.
The wording of the new entries has been known since January, when the WHO announced problem gaming would be recognised as a pathological condition.
Key symptoms include "impaired control" - notably the inability to stop playing - and focusing on the game to the exclusion of everything else.
In extreme cases, gamers unable to pry themselves away from a screen drop out of school, lose jobs, and become cut off from family and non-gaming friends.
Symptomatic behaviour must continue for at least a year before it is considered dangerously unhealthy, according to the new classification.
A joint statement issued by gaming industry associations in seven countries raised concern about the inclusion of gaming in the ICD-11 list, claiming that the evidence for its inclusion remains highly contested.
The addition of gaming to the ICD list by the WHO has been described as "controversial" by Joanna Fortune, a psychotherapist with Solamh.
Addiction to video games has been recognised by the WHO as a mental health disorder | https://t.co/Wle7JFiolV pic.twitter.com/OlC9gCIHmS
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Speaking to RTÉ News, she said: "I think it’s a controversial decision, but I ultimately think it’s a welcome one.
"It’s controversial because this is an area that everybody, both in the gaming industry but also in the mental health profession, would deem requires further study before any such outcome could be categorically agreed on."
The ICD forms a basis for the WHO and other experts to see and respond to trends in health.
"It enables us to understand so much about what makes people get sick and die, and to take action to prevent suffering and save lives," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement as the ICD was published.
The ICD is also used by health insurers whose reimbursements depend on ICD classifications.
The updated ICD is scheduled to be presented to WHO member states at their annual World Health Assembly in May 2019 for adoption in January 2022, the WHO said in a statement.