Compulsive video gamers may have mental health issue

‘Gaming disorder’ to be listed as a new problem by WHO.

Obsessive video

GENEVA — gamers know how to anticipate dangers in virtual worlds. The World Health Organization says they now should be on guard for a danger in the real world: spend

ing too much time playing. In its latest revision to a disease classification manual, the U.N. health agency said Monday that compulsively playing video games now qualifies as a mental health condition. The statement confirmed the fears of some parents but led critics to warn that it may risk stigmatizing too many young video players.

Dr. Shekhar Saxena, director of WHO’s department for mental health and substance abuse, said the agency accepted the proposal that gaming disorder should be listed as a new problem based on scientific evidence, in addition to “the need and the demand for treatment in many parts of the world.”

Dr. Joan Harvey, a spokeswoman for the British Psychological Society, warned that the new designation

might cause unnecessary concern among parents.

“People need to understand this doesn’t mean every child who spends hours in their room play

ing games is an addict, otherwise medics are going to be flooded with requests for help,” she said.

Others welcomed WHO’s new classification, saying it was critical to identify peo-

ple hooked on video games quickly because they are usually teenagers or young adults who don’t seek help themselves.

“We come across parents who are distraught, not only because they’re seeing their child drop out of school, but because they’re seeing an

entire family structure fall certain pathways in their apart,” said Dr. Henrietta brains are triggered in the Bowden-Jones, a spokes- same direct and intense way woman for behavioral addicthat a drug addict’s brain tions at Britain’s Royal Colis affected by a particular lege of Psychiatrists. She substance,” the association was not connected to WHO’s said in that statement. “The decision. gaming prompts a neuro

Bowden-Jones said gamlogical response that influing addictions were usually ences feelings of pleasure best treated with psychologand reward, and the result, ical therapies but that some in the extreme, is manifested medicines might also work. as addictive behavior.”

The American PsychiatDr. Mark Griffiths, who ric Association has not yet has been researching the deemed gaming disorder concept of video gaming to be a new mental health disorder for 30 years, said problem. In a 2013 state- the new classification would ment, the association said help legitimize the problem it’s “a condition warranting and strengthen treatment more clinical research and strategies. experience before it might “Video gaming is like a be considered for inclusion” non-financial kind of gamin its own diagnostic manual. bling from a psychological

The group noted that point of view,” said Grifmuch of the scientific litfiths, a distinguished proerature about compulsive fessor of behavioral addicgamers is based on evidence tion at Nottingham Trent from young men in Asia. University. “Gamblers use

“The studies suggest that money as a way of keeping when these individuals are score whereas gamers use engrossed in Internet games, points.”

KAMIL ZIHNIOGLU / AP 2017 The World Health Organization says that compulsively playing video games now qualifies as a new mental health condition, in a move that some critics warn may risk stigmatizing its young players. The American Psychiatric Association has not yet made a...