"Gaming
disorder" will be recognised as a disease later this year following
expert consensus over the addictive risks associated with playing
electronic games, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Friday
(Jan 5).
The disorder
will be listed in the 11th edition of the International
Classification of Diseases (ICD), to be published in June, WHO
spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva.
WHO is
leading the process of updating ICD-11, which includes input from
global health practitioners.
The current
working definition of the disorder is "a pattern of gaming
behaviour, that can be digital gaming or video gaming,
characterised by impaired control over gaming, increased priority
given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming
takes precedence over other interests," Jasarevic said.
Other
symptoms include "the continuation and escalation of gaming despite
the occurrence of negative consequences".
The
provisional guidelines say that an individual should demonstrate an
abnormal fixation on gaming for at least a year before being
diagnosed with the disorder, which will be classified as an
"addictive behaviour", Jasarevic said.
Anecdotal
evidence suggests that the condition disproportionately effects
younger people more connected to the ever-expanding online gaming
world.
But the WHO
spokesman cautioned that it was premature to speculate on the scope
of the problem.
"Gaming
disorder is a relatively new concept and epidemiological data at
the population level are yet to be generated", he said.
Despite the
lack of hard data, "health experts basically agree that there is an
issue" and that official inclusion in the ICD is the next
appropriate step, Jasarevic said.
"There are
people who are asking for help", he added, noting that formal
recognition of the condition will help spur further research and
resources committed to combatting the problem.
ST