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Gambling addiction will be listed as a mental illness
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Who has not heard of gambling addiction? This is a common phenomenon in which a person develops a strong and persistent pathological addiction to games, primarily gambling. In the vast majority of cases, there is a craving to spend time at slot machines or in casinos. This year, the World Health Organization initiated the inclusion of gambling addiction in the list of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), said the representative of the organization, Tarik Yasarevich.
"The disorder in the form of gambling addiction has already been included in the draft document of the revised eleventh version of the International Classification. At the same time, gambling addiction is characterized as a behavioral disorder that leads to the loss of control over time and the course of the game itself - be it playing in a casino, on a slot machine, on a computer or tablet. A sick and addicted person makes games a priority over any other types of activity, so much so that he completely loses all interests in life. Even ordinary everyday life fades into the background. The patient is eager to continue playing, regardless of any obstacles and without assessing the likelihood of negative consequences," explains the press secretary of the World Health Organization.
According to WHO experts, for an accurate diagnosis of gambling addiction, the above-mentioned behavior pattern in a person must be detected for at least one year. At the same time, gambling addiction must necessarily negatively affect personal, family, household, social and other life links.
Just 20-30 years ago, gambling addiction barely affected people living in the post-Soviet space, and doctors knew about the existence of such a problem only by hearsay. All this was until, closer to the end of the 90s, the gambling industry "rolled" to us. Since then, many people spend time in gaming halls almost every day, giving their (and sometimes other people's) money to "insatiable" machines.
Scientists explain: excitement is present in each of us to one degree or another. So, a person encounters games from childhood, because the game form is the basis of many educational and training systems that should develop a child in a variety of directions. However, over the years, the usual desire to "play" is replaced by another feeling, as it is reborn and changes form. For some lovers of "playing", this form becomes fishing, hunting, sports, etc. And others choose gambling.
Some scientists are sure that gambling addiction is the lot of those who "didn't play enough" as a child. This opinion causes a lot of disagreement. Moreover, the "players" themselves often explain their addiction by the fact that they once won a certain financial sum, and now they want to experience such sensations again.
The information is presented on the 24news portal.
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