World Health Organization: Video Game Addiction is Real Disease – By OAN Newsroom (oann.com) / June 18 2018
The World Health Organization says video game addiction is a real disease.
On Monday, the WHO announced its eleventh International Classification of Diseases, placing ‘Video Game Disorder’ in the same category as ‘Gambling Disorder.’
Studies show that brain activity for certain people who excessively play video games is similar to the way drug addicts are triggered.
Since gaming can result in feelings of pleasure and reward, spending excessive time in front of a screen can develop into an addiction.
Symptoms of video game addiction include neglecting responsibilities and increasing priority to gaming over other activities or social interaction.
“When the behavior is becoming dominating the whole life of a person, — and that is why this is particularly an issue for parents, for families — be attentive to how much time and in what circumstances are being spent on gaming,” explained Dr. Vladimir Poznyak, expert at the WHO Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse
Less than 3-percent of all gamers are actually considered to have an addiction, typically resulting in negative consequences in daily life.
http://www.oann.com/world-health-organization-video-game-addiction-is-real-disease/