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The World Health Organization, or WHO, has designated a new mental illness this week, and you may have heard about it in several media outlets. Called gambling disorder, it is considered to be similar to many other disorders that involve abuse or addiction. He has been called "digital heroine" in some circles because of his apparent ability to exert a strong hold on some of his victims.
What is the gambling disorder?
Gaming Trouble involves playing digital or video games to an excessive extent. It involves three basic characteristics that must be present in order to make the diagnosis. First, gambling behavior must take precedence over many other activities and move them to the periphery in the life of the dependent person. This can involve daily activities such as eating, sleeping or taking care of oneself. It can also involve relationships with spouses, friends or colleagues. This could have repercussions on hobbies or religious activities. Secondly, there is a deficient control or even a loss of control over the activity or behavior. In other words, sometimes the player is not able to stop playing. Even when negative consequences occur, such as stress on an important relationship, school failure or loss of a job, the person may not be able to modulate or stop the behavior . It can even worsen despite these negative consequences. Persistent or recurrent behavior of significant severity has emerged, leading to problems. Third, there is a significant alteration in personal, family, social, educational or professional functioning, sufficient for obvious symptoms of distress and mental health to occur.
Gambling disorder is thought to be similar to gambling or substance use disorders. Negative patterns and effects on function above must have been present for 12 months or more to make this diagnosis.
According to an article on health published by Susan Scutti on 6-18-18, gambling disorders will be included as a new mental health disorder in the 11th edition of the CIM, or International Classification of Diseases, published this month. The ICD, which covers a wide variety of physical and mental conditions, conditions and events, is considered the diagnostic standard for the general classification of diseases and disorders. Researchers use it to count deaths, illnesses, injuries and symptoms. Doctors and other health professionals use it to diagnose medical and mental illnesses and conditions. Health care companies and insurers use it as a basis for reimbursement.
Why include it in ICD 11? Dr. Vladimir Poznyak, a member of the WHO Department of Mental Health and Addiction, says that this inclusion will alert professionals about the existence of the disorder and may help people who suffer from getting the help they need. . Along with other substance use, gambling and other disorders, treatment may include cognitive behavioral skills and social and family support.
Despite this recent statement from the WHO, not everyone agrees that gambling disorder reaches the level of a full-blown disease. Some psychologists claim that the underlying anxiety or depression may actually be present and then lead to the excessive use of video or online or digital games to deal with or treat these conditions themselves. primary.
A related article by CNN's Michael Nedelman on February 28, 2018, was titled Screen Time: Mental Health Menace or Scapegoat. In this article, he discussed a study by Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at the State University of San Diego. The study, which examined the social media habits of hundreds of thousands of teenagers from 2012 to 2015, was published in Emotion, a journal of the American Psychological Association. He found that 13% of eighth and tenth students who spent 1 to 2 hours a week on social media were "not happy". In those who spent 10 to 19 hours a week at SM, 18% said they were "not happy". Finally, among those who spent forty hours or more on SM, 24% were "not happy". This study was somewhat limited in its methods, and it correlated screen time with psychological well-being, not mental illness per se. Whatever it is, this leads us to wonder if teens are often already depressed or anxious and end up with social media or games to fix that, or if the total screen time and the Use of video games, digital games and social media is indeed causing mental health problems and problems.
Even though there are obvious benefits to learning, connecting and socializing that people get online, there may be more problems brewing than we realize now. The inclusion of Gaming Disorder in this week's ICD version 11 is intended to shed light on these issues and further stimulate research, identification and treatment of these issues as it occurs. they are better understood.
Gregory E. Smith, MD, is Chief of Psychiatric Services at Aiken Barnwell Mental Health Center. He has been practicing psychiatry for 30 years since he completed his residency in psychiatry at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.
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