Who believes that playing video games can become a mental health disorder? Yes, the World Health Organization, that's WHO will in 2018. 
 
 "Gaming disorder" isn't a game or the name of a game. And it isn't when your "Yes" or "Start" button on your PlayStation controller fails to work, your character is really messy and leaves equipment all over the screen, or you are surrounded by microwaved burritos while playing. Instead, the beta draft of the WHO's forthcoming 11th update of International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) now includes "gaming disorder" along with the following description: 
 
 Gaming disorder is characterized by a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour (‘digital gaming’ or ‘video-gaming’), which may be online (i.e., over the internet) or offline, manifested by: 1) impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context); 2) increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities; and 3) continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences. The behaviour pattern is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning. The pattern of gaming behaviour may be continuous or episodic and recurrent. The gaming behaviour and other features are normally evident over a period of at least 12 months in order for a diagnosis to be assigned, although the required duration may be shortened if all diagnostic requirements are met and symptoms are severe. 
 
 Being in the ICD-11 will mean that it will officially become a health condition, a diagnosis that can be used by doctors, other health care workers, and insurance companies. Some may even call it a label. 
 
 Before you get too Madden about this, keep in mind that this is not saying that playing video games is a mental disorder. Plenty of well-adjusted individuals play video games. Depending on the game and when, how often, how long, why, and where you play it, video games can be a safe way of improving hand-eye coordination, enhancing problem solving abilities, relieving stress, connecting people, and living out fantasies as covered here by Daphne Bavelier, a Professor at the University of Geneva: 
 
 In fact, as I described previously for Forbes, increasingly video games are being developed and used for health care and to help people. 
 
 Therefore, classifying an activity as a mental health condition is all about context. Using a plunger on a clogged toilet is a fairly normal activity. Using a toilet plunger on your boss's head, not so normal. Key phrases in the "gaming disorder" description above are "impaired control over gaming" and "takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities." Practically any activity, even those seemingly good and necessary, can become mental health issues when you no longer can control the activity and the activity starts interfering with your life. Let's go back to the toilet plunger. Using a toilet plunger to unclog a toilet and avoid a poo spill is a life helping activity. Using a toilet plunger whenever you see a toilet even while someone else is sitting on the toilet is a life and relationship damaging activity. 
 
 Why then specify video games when any activity can be done in excess? The new ICD-11 classification is a reflection of how common video gaming and, in turn, video game addiction have become. A study published in 2009 in Psychological Science found that about 8.5% of American youth from 8 to 18 years old exhibited pathological video game use. Video gaming was affecting important parts of their lives such as school performance. But if you think that video game addiction is mainly an issue for kids, hit the reset button. As reported in 2009, the average video gamer is a 35-year old man (although women are increasingly playing video games). There are numerous stories of adults losing their spouses and jobs while playing video games such as the ones relayed by this 2013 article by Dana Hunsinger Benbow for the USA Today. And as Jesus Diaz pointed out for Gizmodo, guess what Amazon listed as one of the most common items purchased along with the video game Call of Duty 4? A brand of adult diapers. Yes, apparently some video gamers are wearing diapers so that they don't have to pause their Call of Duty when they are experiencing a call of dooty. 
 
 How then can you tell when your gaming habit has become too much? Relationship, school, job, or financial problems certainly are strong clues. But preferably you want to identify an addiction before these problems occur. You could ask yourself the CAGE Questions (frequently used to detect alcohol addiction) with a few modifications (such as replacing the word "drinking" with "gaming" and altering the fourth or "E" question): 
 
 Have you ever felt you should C ut down on your gaming? 
 
 ut down on your gaming? Have people A nnoyed you by criticizing your gaming? 
 
 nnoyed you by criticizing your gaming? Have you ever felt bad or G uilty about your gaming? 
 
 uilty about your gaming? Are video games usually the first thing you think about in the morning when you wake up (Eye opener)? 
 
 See, the questions spell out the word CAGE. Also, check whether your gaming has increased over time and whether there have been accompanying changes in your mood (e.g., becoming moodier, crankier, more irritable, or depressed) and other habits (e.g., you no longer go outside as often or use the toilet). Even if you don't suspect that you have a problem, trying to cut down on any of your habits for a moment is a good test of how much control you have of your own life. 
 
 Another important check is the duration of the gaming behaviors, in this case "over a period of at least 12 months." The duration is what separates the occasional binge from a real persistent problem. Nearly everyone binges on something every now and then. My fourth year of medical school was punctuated by a spate of marathon late night video game sessions with a classmate who is now an esteemed surgeon. If every binge were a disorder, the ICD-11 would be a lot longer and would include things such as "Game of Thrones Watching Disorder" and "Gangham Style Disorder." 
 
 Ultimately, video gaming can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you do it. Don't let it replace human interactions or reality. Keep track of your mood and how the gaming may be affecting the rest of your life. Check every now and then to ensure that you are the one holding the controller and not the video game. And for goodness sake, hit pause and go to the bathroom. ||||| Playing video games for a 12-hour streak could be a mental health problem, not just an annoyance to your family and friends. The World Health Organization is adding gaming disorder to a beta draft of its International Classification of Diseases, reports Forbes. 
 
 Related: Improve brain function by playing Super Mario and other video games, Science says 
 
 According to the draft, gaming becomes more than just a hobby when you’re unable to control how often you play or can’t seem to stop even after battling it out for hours on end. Not only are those bouts of World of Warcraft more intense for people who have the disorder, but also the game often takes over their life and gets in the way of everyday activities. 
 
 And despite any negative consequences, like getting fired for too many skipped work days, people who have the disorder can’t stop themselves from playing. 
 
 As the WHO writes in the draft, “The behavior pattern is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning. The pattern of gaming behavior may be continuous or episodic and recurrent.” 
 
 THOMAS SAMSON/AFP/Getty Images 
 
 The behavior must persist for at least one year in order to be diagnosed. However, in severe cases, this time can be shortened. The term can be applied to both online and offline gaming. 
 
 The International Classification of Diseases, or ICD, is used by health professionals globally and serves as an international standard for defining health conditions and diseases. The 11th edition, which will be released in 2018, will have this new gaming disorder. 
 
 Despite the addition in the ICD, gaming addiction has not been recognized as an official condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Created by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the guide is used by American mental health professionals to diagnose mental health problems. 
 
 However, internet gaming disorder is included in the latest guide as a problem to watch for potential inclusion. 
 
 “By listing Internet Gaming Disorder in DSM’5 Section III, APA hopes to encourage research to determine whether the condition should be added to the manual as a disorder,” the APA wrote in an explanation about their stance. 
 
 Some will debate whether gaming should be classified as an addiction, but there’s no denying that too much time in front of the screen can hinder normal functioning. In a severe case in 2011, a woman in New Mexico spent so much time playing games online, she neglected her toddler, who died from malnutrition and dehydration, according to Fox News. CNN reported another severe case from Taiwan. In 2015, a man was found dead from cardiac arrest after playing for three consecutive days, and doctors believe exhaustion may have contributed to his death. 
 
 However, video games aren’t all bad. As Newsweek previously reported, a small study of older adults indicated that playing games like Super Mario could boost brain function.
– Habitual gamers, the World Health Organization is worried about you. In its upcoming International Classification of Diseases, the WHO is adding something called "gaming disorder," reports New Scientist. A draft makes clear that the label would apply only to those whose habit consumes their lives to an extreme degree—say someone who misses work, gets fired, and continues playing. Under the definition, the "gaming disorder" fits those who can't control the habit despite such negative consequences, and this "pattern is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning." The playing may be constant or "episodic," and the disorder would typically be diagnosed if the pattern continues for at least year. A post at Forbes adds some context: "Before you get too Madden about this, keep in mind that this is not saying that playing video games is a mental disorder," writes Bruce Y. Lee. He adds that video gaming can be beneficial, provided it's not done to excess. Lee suggests that those wondering about their own habits might want to take a series of questions designed to detect addictions to drugs or alcohol ("Are video games usually the first thing you think about in the morning when you wake up?" etc.) And as Newsweek notes, the disorder has not been recognized as such by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a better-known guide used by mental health professionals in the US.