The “video game disorder” joins the other disorders gathered in the international classification of diseases. Addicted players can present with emotional, social or psychological problems.
Playing can be harmful to your health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes video game disorder in its 11th version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The last version of this document was from 1990.
For the first time, in the International Classification of Diseases # ICD11, WHO is classifying gaming disorder as an addictive behavior disorder so now we can measure how many people are affected.https://t.co/HxH0V4DqwU pic.twitter.com/8KKHfTzjEI
– World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 18, 2018
When play takes precedence over everyday life
Video game disorder is defined by “behavior linked to playing video games or playing online games, which is characterized by a loss of control over the game, an increased priority given to the game, to the point that it takes overriding other interests and activities of daily living, and by continuing or increasing gambling despite its damaging repercussions “. To establish a diagnosis, other factors must be combined: the practice of the game must have consequences on “personal, family, social, educational, professional activities” and the disorder must manifest itself for at least twelve months. The director of the WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction, Shekhar Saxena, told AFP: “the person plays so much that other interests and activities are neglected, including sleep and meals . “
The institution recalls that only a small part of the players are affected by addiction. Everyone should pay attention to possible symptoms, when gambling takes over daily activities, for example, or when it leads to physical or psychological changes.
The hidden side of video games
Video games have very positive effects when used in moderation. They can help develop selective attention and sustained attention, which increases the alertness of players. They can also increase the size and efficiency of certain areas of the brain which are associated with vision-spatial abilities (those which allow one to orient oneself, to perceive the objects around oneself, etc.). These effects can be seen as early as a few weeks, but it will depend on the type of game.
War games, those where the player is in the position of a shooter, can have much more dangerous consequences. A study by Molecular Psychiatry finds that their practice can reduce the mass of gray matter in the hippocampus. This decrease increases the risk of developing neuropsychiatric disease (depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s).
Disorders not included in the classification
In this new classification, the WHO removed transidentity from mental and behavioral disorders, and created a category dedicated to “gender nonconformity”.
But some disorders are still not recognized by the organization, such as sex addiction. However, it can cause insomnia, fits of fury, promote feelings of shame or thoughts of suicide. The Federal Institute for Behavioral Addictions states that no epidemiological study has been carried out in France. In the United States, sex addiction affects between 3 and 6% of the population. In 80% of cases, it is men who are affected.
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