The Diagnostics And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders

Psychologists’ use a set of guidelines and tools to determine clinical diagnosis of individuals. The Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (DSM) is a key reference to use when diagnosing clients correctly. This manual has always been a working document; as our understanding of mental pathology has changed, so has this document. In these three articles, they discuss how there is confusion in the DSM in regards to gaming addiction and this creates controversy. There is a clear need for more clarity and reliability in the manual when it comes to video gaming addiction and behaviours. There needs to be a way to measure the video games and identify where it starts as a hobby than transfers into addiction. This addiction can than

Due to these statements not being met in the manual video gaming has become controversial. There is a clear lack of definition of what is video gaming, measuring when is it too much, and defining whether this is now the norm due to change in society. We can clearly see that video gaming has become an addiction due to “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming,... to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.”(The American Heritage Science Dictionary, 2002) Video gaming causes harm in the sense that it affects the socializing aspects of a person’s life as stated in two of the articles. Without a clear definition psychologist are not able to diagnose and proceed with treatment with clients that may have this as an addictive

A little clarity is required from the DSM in regards to symptoms, diagnosing criteria, and whether this is a new disorder or underlying mental health diagnosis. (Bean et al., 2017) suggest that the DSM has prematurely added gaming to the manual without further research in the study of video gaming. Clearly there is a need for a diagnosis, but currently “The literature suffers, however, from lack of a standardized definition from which to deprive prevalence data.”(Bean, 2017, p.8) This then results in lack of validity and reliability. Some concerns in regards to gaming over long term is that the gamer is unable to disquisition between what is reality and the game world. One big question Bean et al, asks do individuals use gaming due to dissatisfaction with their lives. Which means that gaming is just an avoidance behaviour and/or a mental health concern. Gaming as stated can be put into two separate categories, such as its own category or under mental