Inclusion of gaming disorder as a behavioral addiction in ICD-11

With the inclusion of the new category "disorders due to addictive behaviors" in ICD-11, it has been officially recognized by the WHO that highly rewarding behaviors, analogous to psychotropic substances, can become addictive. In addition to gambling disorder, which was already listed in ICD-10, computer gaming disorder was added as a new diagnosis in this category. The phenotype is characterized by loss of control, priority of gaming over other activities, continuation of gaming despite negative consequences, and the condition of significant impairment caused by the symptomatology. Disorder-typical pathomechanisms include consumption-dependent factors, developmental factors, changes in reward sensitivity and processing, and biased reward expectations (cognitions). Psychotherapeutic care for children, adolescents, and young adults with this disorder, who now comprise a substantial proportion of outpatient care, is challenging. In addition to the development of valid diagnostic tools and effective intervention methods, there is a great need for further training in child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy on this new disorder.