Current Advances in Behavioral Addictions: From Fundamental Research to Clinical Practice.

Am J Psychiatry

General Psychology-Cognition, Faculty of Computer Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons, Wegmann); Center for Behavioral Addiction Research, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons, Wegmann); Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Essen, Germany (Brand, Antons); Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal (Bőthe); Interdisciplinary Research Center on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS), Montreal (Bőthe); College of Education, Psychology, and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia (Demetrovics, King); Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest (Demetrovics); Center of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar (Demetrovics); School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK (Fineberg); Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Welwyn Garden City, UK (Fineberg); University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK (Fineberg); Department of Clinical Psychology, Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Ciber Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, IDIBELL, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Psychology Services of the University of Barcelona, Barcelona (Jimenez-Murcia); Instituto de Investigación, Transferencia e Innovación, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, La Rioja, Spain (Mestre-Bach); Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy (Moretta); Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany (Müller); Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Child Study and Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (Potenza); Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT (Potenza); Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT (Potenza).

Published: December 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • Gambling disorder is the only recognized behavioral addiction in DSM-5, while Internet gaming disorder is noted for further research; other potential disorders include compulsive sexual behavior, compulsive shopping, and social media issues.
  • These disorders are clinically relevant and often coexist with conditions like depression and anxiety, with validated diagnostic tools available but no approved medications for treatment.
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy shows the most promise, highlighting the need for active screening and public health efforts, along with further research into treatment methods that combine various therapeutic approaches.

Article Abstract

Gambling disorder is the only behavioral addiction recognized as a clinical disorder in DSM-5, and Internet gaming disorder is included as a condition requiring further research. ICD-11 categorizes gambling and gaming disorders as disorders due to addictive behaviors. Additional behavioral addictions may include compulsive sexual behavior disorder, compulsive buying-shopping disorder, and problematic use of social media. This narrative review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding these five (potential) disorders due to addictive behaviors. All five (potential) disorders are clinically relevant and prevalent. Behavioral addictions frequently co-occur with other mental and behavioral problems, such as depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Validated diagnostic instruments exist, with empirical support varying across conditions. No medications have approved indications from regulatory bodies for behavioral addictions, and cognitive-behavioral therapy has the most empirical support for efficacious treatment. Given that behavioral addictions are prevalent, frequently co-occur with psychiatric disorders, may often go undiagnosed and untreated, and have been linked to poorer treatment outcomes, active screening and treatment are indicated. Public health considerations should be expanded, and impacts of modern technologies should be investigated more intensively. Treatment optimization involving pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, neuromodulation, and their combination warrants additional investigation.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20240092DOI Listing

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