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Despite shady details, as well as the overreach and abuse of mental health classifications seen in non-democratic countries, the World Health Organization will add Gaming Disorder to its International Classification of Diseases in 2018.
According to a preliminary draft of the 2018 International Classification of Diseases, the WHO’s “gaming disorder” will be defined as such:
A pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour (‘digital gaming’ or ‘video-gaming’), which may be online (i.e., over the internet) or offline, manifested by:
1) impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context);
2) increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities; and
3) continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.
Further, “the behaviour pattern is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning.” It may be either “continuous or episodic and recurrent,” and, while typically diagnosed following “a period of at least 12 months” of evidence, has no concrete time requirement. That is to say, a doctor can diagnose it at any point they like, should they deem the severity “significant,” without the WHO batting an eye.