The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed gaming disorder as a disease in ICD 11, its latest International Classification of Diseases (ICD) released on Monday.

The ICD contains around 55 000 unique codes for injuries, diseases and causes of death. 

The ICD-11 has defined gaming disorder as a pattern of gaming behavior (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

For gaming disorder to be diagnosed, the behavior pattern must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months.

ICD allows health professionals across the globe to share health information. It helps health workers and governments to be alert to disease trends. ICD is also used by health insurers whose reimbursements depend on ICD coding.

WHO will be notifying governments that theyll be expected to add gaming disorder to their public health systems. This means that those individuals diagnosed with ‘gaming disorder’ will now be entitled to be treated by the NHS.

Will Mediclaim follow suit?

Dr KK Aggarwal

Padma Shri Awardee

Vice President CMAAO

Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications

President Heart Care Foundation of India

Immediate Past National President IMA