Gaming disorder is going to be named a mental health condition for the first time

a man holding a guitar © Provided by Independent Digital News & Media Limited Gaming disorder is soon to be classified as a mental health condition for the very first time, the New Scientist reports.

The International Classification of Diseases is a diagnostic manual that’s published by the World Health Organisation.

It was last updated 27 years ago, in 1990.

The eleventh edition of the manual is due to be published in 2018 and will include gaming disorder as a serious health condition to be monitored.

The wording of the gaming disorder hasn’t been revealed yet.

However, the draft outlines the criteria needed to determine whether someone can be classed as having a gaming disorder.

Vladimir Poznyak, a member of the WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, spoke about the importance of recognising gaming disorder as an important issue.

“Health professionals need to recognise that gaming disorder may have serious health consequences,” he said.

“Most people who play video games don’t have a disorder, just like most people who drink alcohol don’t have a disorder either. However, in certain circumstances overuse can lead to adverse effects.”

Grand Theft Auto has racked up over $1billion in combined lawsuits. pic.twitter.com/bcOn6LeIcl
— VS Gaming (@VSGamingWorld)
December 21, 2017

Last year, researchers from the University of Oxford’s Internet Institute undertook a study to investigate the percentage of gamers who are addicted to video games.

The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, found that only 2 to 3 per cent of the 19,000 men and women surveyed from the UK, the US, Canada and Germany admitted that they experienced five or more of the symptoms from the American Psychiatric Association checklist of health symptoms.

A few years ago, the APA created a list of nine standard symptoms that could determine “internet gaming disorder”. These symptoms include anxiety, withdrawal symptoms and antisocial behaviour.

Dr Andrew Przybylski, lead author from the University of Oxford study, discussed their findings.

“To our knowledge, these are the first findings from a large-scale project to produce robust evidence on the potential new problem of ‘internet gaming disorder,’” he said.

“Contrary to what was predicted, the study did not find a clear link between potential addiction and negative effects on health; however, more research grounded in open and robust scientific practices is needed to learn if games are truly as addictive as many fear.”

While some may debate whether gaming does pose a threat to mental health, the amount of time many people spend playing video games is astounding.

When researchers from ESET polled 500 gamers, they discovered that 10 per cent admitted to spending between 12 and 24 hours glued to their video game screens.

A post shared by Anthony JFK Jacques (@retrogamingrelived) on Dec 13, 2017 at 6:18pm PST

“Gaming is highly addictive, and it is no wonder so many respondents from our study admit to playing them for so long,” said Mark James, a security specialist at ESET.

Related: Celebs who have spoken out about mental health

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Katy Perry

During an interview with Vogue Australia's August issue, Perry discussed her journey with mental health. Speaking about the audience's lukewarm response to her 2017 album "Witness," she revealed, "I have had bouts of situational depression and my heart was broken last year because, unknowingly, I put so much validity in the reaction of the public, and the public didn’t react in the way I had expected to … which broke my heart."

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Janet Jackson

During an interview with Essence magazine for its July/August 2018 edition, the American singer-songwriter opened up about her "intense" struggle with depression. She said, "These were difficult years, when I struggled with depression. The struggle was intense. I could analyze the source of my depression forever. Low self-esteem might be rooted in childhood feelings of inferiority. It could relate to failing to meet impossibly high standards. And of course there are always the societal issues of racism and sexism. Put it all together and depression is a tenacious and scary condition. Thankfully, I found my way way through it…”

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Olivia Munn

Following the suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain in June 2018, the actress posted a long message on Instagram about her experience with depression and suicidal thoughts. She wrote, "I have lived with anxiety and sporadic bouts of depression for most of my adult life. 10 years ago I tackled it, learned to fully understand it and haven’t felt the dark depths of depression in about a decade. But before that, thoughts of suicide crossed my mind more than a few times. For those who don’t understand depression, when someone is in that place it’s not because they want to die... it’s because the ongoing, relentless darkness is too painful to endure anymore. You don’t have to suffer from anxiety and depression to feel that low. Something very sad or traumatic can happen to you just once to bring about that feeling of despair. But please listen to me- from someone who is telling you that she’s been where you are- when I say that SUICIDE IS NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE. 💛"

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Kanye West

The rapper revealed in his new album "Ye" (2018) that he has bipolar disorder and called it his superpower. On the track "Extacy," he says bipolar "ain't no disability - I'm a superhero." Even the album has a message written over the photo of a landscape: "I hate being Bi-Polar its awesome."

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Ryan Reynolds

During an April 2018 interview with The New York Times, the “Deadpool” actor revealed, “I have anxiety, I’ve always had anxiety. Both in the lighthearted ‘I’m anxious about this’ kind of thing, and I’ve been to the depths of the darker end of the spectrum, which is not fun.” Speaking about how it manifests, he admitted to getting wracked by dread and nausea before live appearances and to tackle them he channels his Deadpool alter-ego and practices meditation before walking in to one. “When the curtain opens, I turn on this knucklehead, and he kind of takes over and goes away again once I walk off set,” he said.

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Mariah Carey

In an interview with People in April 2018, the singer revealed her struggle with bipolar disorder and why she hid it for so long. "Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me," she said.

First diagnosed in 2001, when she was hospitalized for a mental breakdown, she spoke about her recovery. "It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music."

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Dwayne Johnson

The actor opened up about his battle with depression as a teen in April 2018. “Depression never discriminates. Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone,” he wrote to his Twitter followers.

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Emma Stone

The Oscar-winning star spoke about problems she suffered as a child during an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in 2017. “I was a very, very, very anxious child and I had a lot of panic attacks,” she said.

She told another publication that it got worse. "At a certain point, I couldn’t go to friends’ houses anymore – I could barely get out the door to school." She benefited from therapy and youth theater sessions. "You have to be present in improv, and that’s the antithesis of anxiety."

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Gillian Anderson

In therapy since she was 14, Anderson suffered from several mental health problems, including anxiety. “There were times when it was really bad,” she revealed to The Guardian. “There have been times in my life where I haven’t wanted to leave the house.”

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Kristen Bell

"I struggled a lot with anxiety and depression. My mom sat me down when I was about 18 and told me 'there's a serotonin imbalance in our family line and it can often be passed from female to female," the actress revealed during a 2016 interview.

Her genetic predisposition made her open up and start a dialog about mental health. "I got on a prescription when I was a teenager and I'm still on it today and I have no shame in that," said Bell.

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Selena Gomez

Recognizing the need for time to rest and recuperate, both physically and mentally, Selena Gomez took a break in 2017. That was the year she discovered she had lupus – a chronic autoimmune disease.

"I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks, and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges,” she told People magazine. "I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues," she added.

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Bella Hadid

Appearing on her mother's show "Making a Model with Yolanda Hadid," the younger Hadid sister said she suffered from social anxiety.

"I would literally start crying and shaking if I had to do interviews at red carpet events. It was really nerve-racking and it’s scary...," she said. She eventually overcame it. “It gets a lot better once you have to talk to people every day. Then you’re like, 'Okay, I guess it’s my job, I have to do it!'."

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Shawn Mendes

According to a radio interview, the pop star started suffering from anxiety attacks in 2017. "I knew people who had suffered from anxiety and found it kind of hard to understand, but then when it hits you, you’re like, 'Oh my God, what is this? This is crazy.'," he said.

He wrote his single, "In My Blood" talking about his struggle and as part of his recovery. "Every time I play that song for someone, I go, 'Just so you know, I’m okay. Don’t worry about me, I promise, I’m okay'."

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Gina Rodriguez

The chirpy "Jane The Virgin" star shared an Instagram clip in 2017, sans makeup and in casual clothes, talking about her anxiety.

"And watching this clip I could see how anxious I was but I empathize with myself. I wanted to protect her and tell her it’s ok to be anxious, there is nothing different or strange about having anxiety and I will prevail."

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Chrissy Teigen

In a personal interview with Glamour magazine in 2017, Teigen spoke about postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter Luna in 2016.

"Getting out of bed to get to set on time was painful... I would go two days without a bite of food... Most days were spent on the exact same spot on the couch...," she revealed. "Postpartum does not discriminate. I couldn’t control it. And that’s part of the reason it took me so long to speak up: I felt selfish, icky, and weird saying aloud that I’m struggling. Sometimes I still do," she added.

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Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner’s struggle with anxiety problems came out on the show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” She revealed that her work as a model and extensive traveling were also triggers.

"There’s a lot that happened this past year, starting with like, Kim’s robbery," said Kendall. “Then I got robbed, and I had my stalkers. That’s why I don’t really like going out anymore. That’s why I don’t tweet, that’s why I don’t Instagram. That gives me anxiety, too."

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Robbie Williams

The English singer-songwriter spoke about his struggles with depression in an interview with Sunday Times in September 2017. He admitted, "This job is really bad for my health. It's going to kill me. Unless I view it in a different way... The more c***y and arrogant I look onstage, the more terrified I am... I don't know if I'd be this mentally ill without fame. I don't think it would be as gross or as powerful if it hadn't have been for fame. You get a magnifying glass in the shape of the world's attention and your defects will obviously magnify too."

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Amanda Seyfried

In the November 2016 issue of Allure magazine, the actress admitted to taking anti-depressants since an early age. She noted, "I'm on Lexapro, and I'll never get off of it. I've been on it since I was 19, so 11 years. I'm on the lowest dose... A mental illness is a thing that people case in a different category [from other illnesses], but I don't think it is. It should be taken as seriously as anything else." She also mentioned about being in therapy in 2015.

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Lady Gaga

In an exclusive interview with The Mirror, the singer-songwriter admitted she took medication to deal with her sudden rise to stardom. She said: “I needed a moment to stabilize. When my career took off, I don’t remember anything at all. It’s like I’m traumatized. I needed time to re-calibrate my soul.” The singer feels she is in a much better space now. In 2014, she had told Harper’s Bazaar that 2013 had been a rough year for her. "I was angry, cynical, and had this deep sadness like an anchor dragging everywhere I go. I just didn't feel like fighting anymore," she had said.

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Drew Barrymore

The actress revealed that she suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her second child in 2014 – Frankie. Her older daughter Olive was born in 2012. Speaking to People magazine, the actress said: "I didn't have postpartum the first time so I didn't understand it because I was like, 'I feel great!' ... The second time, I was like, 'Oh, whoa, I see what people talk about now. I understand.' It's a different type of overwhelming with the second. I really got under the cloud."

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Cara Delevingne

The model-turned-actress spoke about how, from an early age, she suffered from bouts of depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies. Speaking at the 2015 Women in the World Summit, she said, "I was completely suicidal, I didn't want to live anymore. I thought that I was completely alone. I also realized how lucky I was, and what a wonderful family and wonderful friends I had, but that didn't matter. I wanted the world to swallow me up, and nothing seemed better to me than death."

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Hayden Panettiere

The actress had checked into a treatment center to seek professional help for postpartum depression. The “Heroes” actress, who is engaged to professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko, gave birth to daughter Kaya Evdokia in December 2014 and has been quite vocal about her struggle with postpartum depression. During an appearance on a TV show she said, “It’s something that needs to be talked about. Women need to know that they’re not alone, and that it does heal.”

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Robin Williams

The legendary Hollywood comedian, who passed away on Aug. 11, 2014, at the age of 63, was open about his long-standing battle with drugs and alcohol abuse, saying in 2010: “It’s just literally being afraid. And you think, oh, [the alcohol] will ease the fear. And it doesn’t.”

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Catherine Zeta-Jones

In April 2011, the actress spoke about her struggle with bipolar disorder. “If my revelation of having bipolar II has encouraged one person to seek help, then it is worth it... There is no shame in seeking help.”

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Owen Wilson

Wilson has not spoken publicly about his hospitalization after an apparent suicide attempt in 2007, but in 2005 he told Rolling Stone: “I've started to notice that, as you get older, mental health is as fragile as physical health... You can really get sideswiped by stuff like depression.”

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Gwyneth Paltrow

In 2011 Paltrow revealed that she struggled after the birth of her son: “I couldn't access my emotions. I thought postpartum depression meant you were sobbing every single day and incapable of looking after a child, but there are different shades and depths of it.”

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Winona Ryder

In 2009, Ryder told Elle UK that she'd had an “extra-large breakdown” when she was 20. “Everybody else just thought I had everything in the world... but inside I was completely lost.”

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Heath Ledger

There was much speculation after Ledger's death in 2008 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, but in interviews, Heath only spoke about insomnia. In 2007 he said: “Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night. I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.”

Matthew Perry

In 2013, Perry spoke about his struggle with depression, alcohol and prescription drug abuse. “I was a sick guy... I think I was pretty good at hiding it, but... eventually people were aware.”

Demi Lovato

After spending time at a clinic in 2010, Lovato revealed she had been treated for anorexia, bulimia and bipolar disorder. “There were times when I was so manic, I was writing seven songs in one night and I'd be up until 5.30 in the morning.”

Ellen DeGeneres

The talk show host said that after her sitcom was cancelled in 1998, “Everything that I ever feared happened to me... I just went into this deep, deep depression”.

Stephen Fry

Fry has been open about his struggles with depression. “It’s hard to be a friend to someone who’s depressed, but it is one of the kindest, noblest and best things you will ever do.”

Russell Brand

In his autobiography "My Booky Wook," Brand wrote: “I know that I have dramatically changing moods, and I know sometimes I feel really depressed, but I think that's just life.”

Diana, Princess of Wales

Speaking to the BBC in 1995, Diana said, “I was unwell with post-natal depression, which no one ever discusses... You'd wake up in the morning feeling you didn't want to get out of bed, you felt misunderstood, and just very, very low in yourself.”

Jon Hamm

In 2010, Hamm said medication had helped him in his battle with depression. “You can change your brain chemistry enough to think: ‘I want to get up in the morning; I don't want to sleep until four in the afternoon.'"

Amy Winehouse

In 2007, Winehouse told Rolling Stone, “I do suffer from depression, I suppose. Which isn't that unusual. You know, a lot of people do.” The singer died in 2011 of accidental alcohol poisoning.

JK Rowling

The "Harry Potter" author said in 2000: “Depression is the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced... It is that absence of being able to envisage that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope.”

Jane Seymour

Seymour described her depression in 2005: “I always think of life like a giant wave... It's just magnificent, and then it crashes. And for a lot of people, when it crashes, that's the end, and they go down the deep, dark hole of depression.”

Sarah Silverman

In her memoir "The Bedwetter," Silverman wrote: “It happened as fast as a cloud covering the sun... As quickly and casually as someone catches the flu, I caught depression.”

Ashley Judd

Judd has spoken about going to rehab in 2006 when she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired... I looked really good on the outside but I had a lot of anxiety and insomnia.”

Brooke Shields

Shields wrote about her experiences in her 2005 book "Down Came the Rain: My Journey through Postpartum Depression." She advised: “Don't waste a minute not being happy. If one window closes, run to the next window - or break down a door.”

Rosie O'Donnell

O'Donnell told "Good Morning America": “The dark cloud that arrived in my childhood did not leave until I was 37 and started taking medication. The grey has gone away. I am living in bright technicolor.”

Shah Rukh Khan

The Indian actor spoke of his depression in 2010: “Due to the shoulder injury and the suffering I had got into a depression mode but now I am out of it. I feel happy and boosted with energy.”

Deepika Padukone

The actress opened up about her struggle with depression. "There were days when I would feel okay, but at times, within a day, there was a roller-coaster of feelings. Finally, I accepted my condition," Padukone told an Indian daily.

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