As the American Psychiatric Association (APA) opens up the 5th edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to feedback from the Internet, GamePro takes a look at how videogame addiction might factor into the discussion.
Videogame addiction is not currently in the APA classification system, but if it was, it would likely be considered an entry in the “non-substance addiction” category, alongside other suggested entries such as eating, shopping and sexual activity.
As GamePro notes, that category could be removed altogether:
… proposed changes could eliminate the "Non-substance addictions" category where people argue game addiction should go; instead, replacing it with a general diagnosis category.
Proposed draft revisions can be viewed on the DSM-5 site.
Thanks DarkSaber!
Comments
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
"Psych Bible?" Research and science are comparable to religion and superstition now?
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
Some people argue that the one thing that keeps excessive video game play from crossing the line into addiction is the lack of withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms are extremely rare and don't hold a candle to withdrawal symptoms that follow the cessation of excessive substance use.
However, there are many reports of college students who have dropped out of college because of excessive video gaming, and that's certainly evidence of "interfering with one's social, occupational, or personal life" (something to that degree) that appears in nearly every DSM diagnosis.
The video game addiction argument is much tougher than people on both sides would like to believe.
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
Is it just me, or does the DSM's cover look like the box for an Atari game?
---
Fangamer
Fangamer
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
If you actually go to the site, you'll read that "internet addiction" is not likely to be in the DSM-V, citing lack of evidence. I don't see that they address "video game addiction" specifically, but my guess is that these two categories are attached.
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
Dude...... OCD and such behaviors are highly addictive (gaa help me). They really need it so they can figure out deeper repetitive stuff and such to diagnose peoples with issues.
Just because alot of things are simalur and may can be misdiagnosed it dose not mean the whole thing needs to be done away with rather it needs to be refined....
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy! CP/IP laws should not effect the daily life of common people! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
I have a dream, break the chains of copy right oppression! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/what-is-cigital-disobedience/
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
I doubt there is a single thing or activity out there that somebody has been "addicted" to somewhere. The real question is where to draw the line. I know some people want to blast games because of a theory that developers make their games addictive by design.
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
I can assure you most honestly that some developers do intentionally develop systems of challenge and reward intended to bring about player compulsion. There are gross ethical dilemnas about doing so, but whether this is much different to doing so in sport or other narrative structures is something to consider.
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
Yeah, "bring about player compulsion". Among normal people better known as "making the game fun".
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
Actually it often goes beyond that. Consider World of Warcraft, whipping boy that it is. While personally I do not enjoy or play the game, you can clearly see how perfectly engineered the system was to take advantage of efforts already invested to drive players to play just a little longer. Then, of course, they're this close to the next milestone and have paid money for this time so they may as well go a little bit longer. There's a great deal more to it than this, and one could right endlessly on the subject, but the basic idea is clear. I am not passing judgement on such design decisions, although there is a moral dilemna for developers to consider.
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
I can certainly understand the debate surrounding non-substance addictions. While in the case of substance addictions and conditions such as depression there is a notable imbalance within the body. In the case of non-substance addictions, however, the 'addiction' is often the result of standard human responses.
If an action taken by a person results in the release of Seratonin, or a number of other 'happy' chemicals, then the person is rewarded with a feeling of happiness, excitement or well-being. Biologically we are encouraged to pursue such actions and compelled to from habits around them.
That said there is certainly a problem when someone cannot stop eating or plays video-games 8 hours a day. Whether this is a disorder, however, is still up for debate.
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
The question isn't whether someone can become addicted to playing video games -- we know that it can happen. The question is whether or not being addicted to gaming is any different than... say, being addicted to gambling, or Twitter, or cleaning, or knitting, or grooming cats, or any other non-substance related addiction. Are games specifically responsible for the addiction, or are they merely the outlet for some other problem?
The general direcion implied in the article is that non-substance addictions are an umbrella of addictive behaviors wherein gaming is not unique -- and that's important, as it shows that many things can be the focus of an addiction, but that focus is not directly responsible. Were it the other way round, there'd be grounds for treating games as a controlled substance.
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
I find it bizarre how a lot of people want to label all sorts of technological advancements as 'addictive', essentially without consideration of what the term implies, medically. Games, TV, Internet, Texting -- all sorts of stuff that people happen to use in quantity, but definitely not addictive.
I was reading something a little while back about how 'internet addiction' is more prevelent with younger people, and I just wanted to slap the author -- that's because there are more of them using it! Sure, people can exhibit addictive behavior in regard to anything, but that doesn't make whatever it is addictive.
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
To some, if others use it for more than the allotted time that they themselves do, then those others are addicted.
Re: Videogame Addiction: In or Out of Psych Bible?
I fear that eliminating the "Non-Substance Addiction" diagnosis category and simply adding a "general diagnosis" category would serve to severely undermine very important contextual factors around how an addiction diagnosis is given. As of now, the DSM-IV-TR very much acknowledges the extremely high rate of comorbidity in addiction patients and a "General diagnosis" doesn't even begin to acknowledge how serious some of those other addictions can be. They are just as harmful as substance addictions in some cases.
Granted, the jury is still out on whether or not some of them are real disorders. However, the jury is out on whether or not MANY of things described in the DSM-IV-TR are real disorders. Anxiety and depression are still being debated as the same illness in literature with different cognitive processes, dissociative identity disorder is still hotly debated.