Peer-Reviewed Study

Application of the Eleventh Revision of the International Classification of Diseases Gaming Disorder Criteria to Treatment-Seeking Patients: Comparison with the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Internet Gaming Disorder Criteria

Jan 2021 🇯🇵 Journal of Behavioral Addictions PEER-REVIEWED

Published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions in 2021, this paper by Susumu Higuchi and colleagues at Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center compares two diagnostic frameworks for problematic gaming: the World Health Organization's newer ICD-11 gaming disorder category and the American Psychiatric Association's earlier DSM-5 internet gaming disorder criteria. Clinicians evaluated 241 people already seeking treatment for excessive gaming, applying both sets of criteria through structured interviews. Most participants met both definitions, and the two frameworks largely agreed on the more severe cases, though some differences appeared among people most invested in online console and PC gaming. The authors argue this overlap supports continued work on standardized diagnostic tools. TechKids Foundation includes this entry as clinical evidence linking heavy, functionally impairing gaming to patterns that both major diagnostic systems now recognize.

78.4% and 83.0% of participants met ICD-11 and DSM-5 criteria, respectively

Among 241 treatment-seeking patients evaluated through clinical interview, 78.4% met the ICD-11 gaming disorder criteria and 83.0% met the DSM-5 internet gaming disorder criteria, with substantial overlap between the two groups.

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CITATION

Higuchi, Susumu, Hideki Nakayama, Takanobu Matsuzaki, Satoko Mihara, and Takashi Kitayuguchi. "Application of the Eleventh Revision of the International Classification of Diseases Gaming Disorder Criteria to Treatment-Seeking Patients: Comparison with the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Internet Gaming Disorder Criteria." Journal of Behavioral Addictions 10, no. 1 (2021): 149–158. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2020.00099

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