Failed education because of gaming, alienated from the family - and still many people can't stop playing video games. In future, the diagnosis of video game addiction should apply in such cases, says the World Health Organization.
The World Health Organization (WHO) includes the craze for video games in its catalog of mental illnesses. This was confirmed by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva on Wednesday. The new catalog will be published in June. The WHO estimates are based on national health authorities and insurance companies.
But video games alone for hours do not lead to the diagnosis "Gaming Disorder".
Rather affected are people who can hardly control their gaming behavior,
give the game a higher priority than other activities and maintain this, if it results in negative consequences for them.
Only if this leads to significant problems in one or more areas of life - such as family, education, leisure time - and the pattern of behavior has existed for at least a year, the diagnosis "Gaming Disorder" should be appropriate.
"This addiction also affects physical functions," said Tedros. He talked about the eyesight and the fitness. The inclusion in the catalog is a first step, then the WHO will develop guidelines for treatment options.
The WHO also stresses that only a small proportion of people who play digital or video games are affected by this problem.
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