World Health Organization To Recognize Gaming Disorder As A Mental Health Condition

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) beta draft for its upcoming 11th International Classification of Diseases lists “gaming disorder” as a mental health condition. The document cites the condition as one that may cause significant damage to areas of one’s life such as personal, family, social, and occupational.

Specifically, the draft states that the condition requires 12 or more months of consistent video game playing, although it is open to including shorter periods of time in the definition if symptoms are present and severe enough. For now, WHO’s definition of gaming disorder includes only a clinical description, as . . .