Gaming addiction is a 'mental health disorder': WHO

NewsBharati    19-Jun-2018
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Mumbai, June 19: Many times we hear our elders speaking that how interesting their childhood was, they use to play many physical games. Even now children do play games but digitally. Almost every child in urban cities plays games digitally. This habit of ‘Gaming’ has been now classified as a mental disorder by the World Health Organization (WHO).


 

The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) is the bedrock for health statistics. It maps the human condition from birth to death: any injury or disease we encounter in life − and anything we might die of − is coded.

And for the first time WHO has classified gaming disorder as an addictive behavior disorder.

The WHO's expert on mental health and substance abuse, Shekhar Saxena, said an addicted gamer "loses control over the gaming and ignores other essential activities like sleep, like eating, like taking part in education or work."

The ICD, which has been updated over the past 10 years, covers 55,000 injuries, diseases, and causes of death. It forms a basis for the WHO and other experts to see and respond to trends in health.

The ICD is also used by health insurers whose reimbursements depend on ICD classifications.

 

This latest version - known as ICD-11 - is completely electronic for the first time, in an effort to make it more accessible to doctors and other health workers around the world.