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to the inclusion of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) into the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), though under Section 3 as a condition that requires further study before becoming an official mental disorder
addictive form in some individuals (e.g., King & Potenza, 2019 ; Young, 2004 ). Especially gaming becomes more and more a public health issue ( Faust & Prochaska, 2018 ; Rumpf et al., 2018 ). After the recognition of ‘Internet gaming disorder’ in the
no improvement in alpha with the deletion of any item. Problematic gaming was measured with the Internet Gaming Disorder scale ( Petry et al., 2014 ). It asks nine items relating to the last 12 months
mechanism underlying pathological gaming. This has led to the inclusion of the Internet gaming disorder (IGD) in the 5th edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013 ). Besides
online activities may increase the risk of using social media and games in a problematic manner; display characteristics of addiction are described for Internet gaming disorder (IGD) in the Appendix of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical
not all substances of abuse (e.g., Bayard, McIntyre, Hill, & Woodside, 2004 ; Kosten & O’Connor, 2003 ; Vandrey, Budney, Hughes, & Liguori, 2008 ) but also for behavioral addictions (e.g., gambling disorder and internet gaming disorder
per week. After one month, MMORPG-players reported playing more often than the other participants, worse physical health and sleep quality, and the game interfering more with their studies. Internet Gaming Disorder has been included in the
area of research that has not yet reached full clarification in terms of the classification and diagnostic criteria ( Fineberg et al., 2018 ; Griffiths, 2021 ; Mihajlov & Vejmelka, 2017 ). In 2013, Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) was included as a
Ambiguities in existing Iranian national policies addressing excessive gaming
Commentary on: Policy responses to problematic video game use: A systematic review of current measures and future possibilities (Király et al., 2018)
Considering the scarcity of available science and controversies around effective policies addressing gaming disorder and its health-related consequences, Király et al. have conducted a systematic review on current evidence regarding this issue. We, a group of researchers in this field, would like to express our perspective from Iran. With rapid growth of gaming, Iran seems to be facing some specific policy issues and challenges, which are going to be reviewed in this short commentary.
Abstract
Background and Aims
Internet Gaming Disorder, a subtype of Internet Addiction, is now classified in Section 3 of the DSM-5. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been suggested in treating Internet addiction as this modality has been shown to be an effective treatment for similar impulse control disorders. Given the daily and necessary use of the Internet and technology in general compared to other compulsive syndromes, a specialized form of CBT has been developed called Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Internet Addiction (CBT-IA). CBT-IA is a comprehensive three phase approach that includes behavior modification to control compulsive Internet use, cognitive restructuring to identify, challenge, and modify cognitive distortions that lead to addictive use, and harm reduction techniques to address and treat co-morbid issues associated with the disorder.
Methods
As the first model of its kind, this study examines 128 clients to measure treatment outcomes using CBT-IA. Clients were evaluated using the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) to classify subjects and were administered twelve weekly sessions of CBT-IA. Treatment outcomes were measured at the end of the twelve weeks, one-month, three months and at six month post-treatment.
Results
Results showed that over 95% of clients were able to manage symptoms at the end of the twelve weeks and 78% sustained recovery six months following treatment.
Discussion and Conclusions
Results found that CBT-IA was effective at ameliorating symptoms associated with Internet addiction after twelve weekly sessions and consistently over one-month, three months, and six months after therapy. Further research implications such as investigating long-term outcome effects of the model with larger client populations and treatment differences among the subtypes of Internet addiction or with other cultural populations using CBT-IA are discussed.
