Gaming Disorder Now a Mental Health Condition, According to WHO

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The World Health Organization has made it official — "Gaming Disorder" is now about to be added to their manual of disease classifications, and it will be considered as a mental health condition.

According to WHO definition, Gaming Disorder is defined as "impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences," as quoted in a report by People Magazine.

The organization has been planning on including Gaming Disorder as one of the "Disorders due to addictive behaviours" in their manual since late last year. Based on the definition provided by the WHO, the health condition is less about the games themselves and more on the existing mental health condition that may lead gamers to have "impaired control over gaming."

It is this impaired control that leads gaming addicts to keep playing to the neglect of their work, other hobbies or their relationships.

The WHO was careful to emphasize that Gaming Disorder is an actual condition that can be diagnosed, and one that "affects only a small proportion of people who engage in digital- or video- only gaming activities."

Not all experts agree with WHO's position about a possible Gaming Disorder, though. "I think it's a little too soon to have it as a disorder," Dr. Kevin Gilliland pointed out.

He said that he preferred the way the American Psychiatric Association framed their thinking when it comes to problems with gaming. According to Gilliland, the APA currently considers Gaming Disorder and similar issues as a diagnosis that experts still need to study in more detail.

Besides, gaming is not much different from other hobbies that people may find themselves interested in as well.

"We've all got something — like who hasn't binge-watched a series and been tired before work? Maybe you got into 'Game of Thrones' and watched all six seasons. That's just bad decisions, that's not a disorder, or a mental disorder," Gilliland noted.