Pathological gamers ranked among people with a mental disorder

While video game lovers claim that this activity does not affect the mental state at all, does not spoil eyesight and does not lead to sleep disturbances, opponents of such pastime believe that there is nothing positive in this, especially for the younger generation. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the point of view of the latter, as scientists have come to the conclusion that gamers - people who are overly passionate about computer games, still suffer from mental illness.

An updated version of the International Classification of Diseases, which will come into effect in 2022, will contain a disease such as gaming disorder. Representatives of approximately 55 countries of the world worked on the new document, and discussions on the appropriateness of including a new type of disease in the new classification have been ongoing for several years. As a result, the world medical community recognized the uncontrolled fascination with computer and other video games as a mental disorder, which was located in the same section as ludomania - an excessive attraction to gambling.

Pathological gamers are a relatively new phenomenon in the life of society, so scientists have proposed a number of criteria by which we can ascertain gambling addiction. The first thing that should alert you is the uncontrolled time spent playing the game. That is, a person does not realize how much he spent on the game, and can not limit this occupation to any specific time frame. The second indicator relates to the issue of choosing priorities. If a game for a person becomes higher than other areas of life, that is, a "harmless hobby" begins to crowd out everything else and more and more money is spent on it, then in this case it is also worth treating such a person as a patient suffering from a mental disorder. In addition, doctors suggested diagnosing the disease after these symptoms appear within 1 year.