WHO Gaming Disorder Listing a 'Moral Panic', Say Experts (bbc.com)

The decision to class gaming addiction as a mental health disorder was "premature" and based on a "moral panic," experts have said. From a report: The World Health Organization included "gaming disorder" in the latest version of its disease classification manual. But biological psychology lecturer Dr Peter Etchells said the move risked "pathologising" a behaviour that was harmless for most people. The WHO said it had reviewed available evidence before including it. It added that the views reflected a "consensus of experts from different disciplines and geographical regions" and defined addiction as a pattern of persistent gaming behaviour so severe it "takes precedence over other life interests." Speaking at the Science Media Centre in London, experts said that while the decision was well intentioned, there was a lack of good quality scientific evidence about how to properly diagnose video game addiction.

Comments

difference between use and abuse

[goombah99]

What they are saying is not that gaming leads to addiction but rather some addicable people make gaming their addiction.

This is unquestionably true.

You can say the same thing about cleaning your ears with a Q-tip or sucking on a lollypop.

People who use drugs are not neccessarily addicts. People who abuse drugs often are addicts.

And so we need a category to describe, Q-tip fixation, drug addiction, and gaming addiction.

Unwanted compulsive behaviour is also different than compulsive behaviour. If it's unwanted but not under control it is a problem and so they classify it as such.

okay everybody can calm down now.