Hey, Gamers! Did you know that you might be suffering from a mental condition?
For the first time ever, WHO, in its Eleventh International Classification of Diseases (ICD), has termed video game addiction as a “Gaming Disorder”.
Well, it’s not applicable to all the people who play games. Only excessive gaming can show adverse effects on one’s health condition. The behaviour has to significantly impact the social, personal, family and other aspects of your life.
This disorder is defined as “ a pattern of gaming behaviour, that can be digital or video gaming, characterized by impaired control over gaming, increased the priority given to gaming over other activities to an extent that gaming takes precedence over the other interests despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”
44% of the world’s online population are gamers. Out of which 41% of the population admitted that they play video games in order to escape from the real world.
According to the WHO guidelines, an individual must demonstrate excessive and abnormal gaming for about 12months before being diagnosed with the disorder.
Here are the signs you need to know if you are concerned about suffering from a Gaming Disorder.
- Impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context)
- Increasing priority is given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities
- Continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences
This update by the World Health Organization has got many responses in the social media.
The Eleventh edition of ICD is expected to be published in June 2018.
